Forest Fire
by moor
Summary: Mod AU. SasuSakuIta. A small spark can launch a forest fire.
1. Chapter 1

**"Forest Fire"**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine (outside of my sense of humour), and obviously belongs to its rightful rights holders.**

* * *

Sakura groped around inside her gym bag desperately even as the last of her classmates were exiting the change room to join the phys ed class that awaited them outside.

"Sakura?" called Hinata worriedly.

"I'll be there in a minute!" she called back, and frantically searched.

"Shit, shit, shit, that couldn't have been the last one," she mumbled, and finally upended the bag to dump out the last of its contents.

Not a trace of the elusive object she so urgently needed.

Clenching her teeth and uttering an oath that would have gotten her suspended if she'd been overheard by her teachers, the pink-haired girl huffed angrily and stomped to the doorway.

Sakura was humble enough to admit she was angrier at herself than anything else. This was just one of those freaky coincidences that seemed to plague her, rearing its ugly head once again. Normally so prepared, she'd wasted her time looking for a damn replacement when she should have been asking for help. It was maddening.

She'd been doing so well, too, and was sure she would have actually managed a perfect score on her entire report card that term, including the dreaded phys ed obstacle course they were to endure. She'd just have to suffer that Friday afternoon.

Ugh.

"Haruno!"

The loud, energetic voice boomed through the locker room and snapped her out of her procrastination.

Growling under her breath she stood and started half-running, half-jogging out to join the class.

"Coming!"

Why of all the bloody things to go wrong did she need to lose her last decent hair-tie? (And why had no one else been able to spare one of theirs?)

* * *

When she reached the group of students assembled by the fields she was just thrilled to note that the university campus next door also seemed to be using part of the shared fields.

Fantastic, now she got to show off just how unprepared she was and look like she was a vain attention whore. After so many years of setting her vanity aside for more important pursuits (like strengthening her studies so she could get a scholarship to the uni right next door, for example), she had learned to streamline her morning routine to the bare essentials. Those essentials included showering, shaving on gym days, brushing her teeth and hair, and tying said hair back so it would be out of her eyes. She didn't really have a lot of time to dedicate to her self, and decided not to put her efforts there when they could be better spent elsewhere (like applying for scholarships and bursaries). But she liked to think she was at least tidy. She wasn't lazy about her appearance –she took very good care of herself—but she didn't dress up.

So when she felt her long hair flying out behind her as she ran, it was a bit disconcerting—she just wasn't used to having her hair down.

And she didn't miss the snide comments others made as she approached, either, but tried to ignore them.

"Priss."

"Look who's here to show off…"

"How stupid is that? She should have tied her hair back for this… So much for being smart."

"I think you look lovely with your hair down, Sakura," smiled Hinata, beaming at her proudly.

She loved her friends.

"Thanks, Hina," she said ruefully. "It feels a bit odd, though."

"Nah, it looks great! Doesn't it, Bastard?"

"Hn," the Uchiha muttered. Then he actually looked at her for a second and his brow creased. "You usually have a tie."

"It snapped," explained Ino, arms crossed as she appraised Sakura thoughtfully. "No one had any spares today, unfortunately."

"And we aren't allowed to use hair sticks in gym, or we could have grabbed a pen," added Hinata quietly.

"Hn."

Their gazes all strayed to the university club—it looked to be martial arts, that day—that had taken up the far side of the field when loud yelling broke out and the group started into organized kata formation.

"Man, their sensei's tough," muttered Naruto, though he was impressed.

Sasuke turned away after a moment and refocused on their own class.

"Hn."

Their teacher, Mr. Gai, led them further out onto the track as they talked, and started them on an easy jog to warm up while he jogged backwards and explained the obstacle course to them.

"… and when you finish the yoga routine, be sure to thoroughly cleanse your breathing before continuing on to the bouncy castle…"

"Trampolines!"

"Shut up, ass-last."

"Shh!"

"… where you will then proceed to the tire-pull challenge!"

"… and from there, to the beach I have conveniently constructed for you, to run together towards the blazing sunset!"

"… and will then play pass-the-flaming-torch to one another as a show of your undying, flaming youth!"

"… passing by the infirmary, you will then enjoy a team-bonding tug-of-war!"

Sakura felt tired just listening to Gai.

"… where you will wrestle the crocodiles in their native swamp on the south side of campus…"

"We have crocodiles?"

"Does the school's health insurance cover Gai's classes?"

"Anyone else feel like joining me for a round of 'girl problems' that suddenly need to be addressed?" mumbled Ino, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the mounting danger that was so abundant in Gai's latest 'challenge'.

"Hells yeah," Naruto said with feeling.

Sasuke just ignored them.

Sakura couldn't help it, she snorted at Naruto's earnest reply—mostly because he probably thought girl problems had to do with hair or make-up, silly boy. (In her periphery vision she noticed they were closing in on the university's Martial Arts club, and tried to ignore them.) She also noticed Sasuke had disappeared, and remembered that his older brother was supposed to have been at the university, but she couldn't remember what school of study he was in. It was just a thought in passing, and she ignored the looks she could feel burning into her back as she passed by. Creepers.

Again, she felt like an idiot for running in gym without her usual hair-tie to keep her long hair from her eyes. They probably all thought she was doing it out of vanity.

"… and then finish triumphantly with a jaunt through The Gauntlet!"

_Oh f– me_, inner-Sakura spat, and outer Sakura just barely caught herself from glaring at their overenthusiastic teacher.

Her hair was going to be shorn shorter than Ms. Mitarashi's temper by the end of that one.

"I hope the blades are duller this time."

"No, you want 'em sharp otherwise the wounds'll be uglier and will bruise more," remembered Sakura aloud following a talk she'd had with Tenten following last year's debacle with The Gauntlet.

"Thank you for that spectacular motivation, Forehead."

"Anytime, Pig."

"Here," Sasuke interrupted, meeting between them a moment and holding his hand out to Sakura. "You're gonna need this."

Keeping pace with him they sped up a bit to outstrip the others a moment.

"What's this?" she asked, too quietly for the others to hear.

"Just take it," he muttered, shoving his fist at her again.

She was just quick enough to catch the elastic he tossed at her before he sped off again, intent to lap Naruto a few times before their usual competitiveness got the better of them both.

"Where did you—thank you, Sasuke!" she called, her smile brightening exponentially. Her pace slowed only a bit as she reached behind her to tie her hair back as neatly and tightly as she could.

She was pretty sure she heard a distantly muttered '_hn'_ from under his breath, but he was so far ahead she couldn't be sure.

Well. That changed things.

Now she was definitely going to be attempting The Gauntlet, it seemed.

(And it also looked like she'd be bringing in treats for Sasuke come Monday morning…. Or something. She'd have to see what she could rig up to thank him, if he'd allow it.)

Behind her she could still hear the martial arts club practicing under the supervision of its ruthless captain.

* * *

Her shoulder was suffering second-degree burns; the muscles of her legs ached and quivered as she loped down the path; and her chest heaved as she tried to draw in gulps of air that never seemed to be enough to satisfy her oxygen-starved body; but Sakura had made it to The Gauntlet.

There were hardly a handful of students left for the final stretch, and she walked back & forth to keep her heartrate elevated and her bloodflow pumping strongly. Sasuke glanced over at her, met her eyes (and she nodded faintly, assuring him she was fine when they both knew she wasn't—she ignored his eye-roll), and then went back to walking off his own exhaustion, swinging his arms around to keep himself limber. Of course he looked just fine. Hell would freeze over before that Uchiha would admit to any form of weakness. Mule.

In contrast, Naruto was curled up under a shady tree groaning pitifully and begging to be put out of his misery.

The other students seemed to be milling about, so she made her way over to her suffering compatriot.

"Gai's on his way back from dropping off the last round of wounded, rest time's over, Naruto," she said sympathetically, nudging her friend.

"A quick shot to the back of my head; you can do it, I trust you Sakura-chan," he whined, and she laughed at him.

"Upsy-daisy, princess," she groused with a smile, and helped haul him up to his feet again where he staggered against her. "Hey, you ok?" she asked, giving him another once-over, more critically this time. "Where's all that ramen-powered energy from lunch? Normally you'd be all over Sasuke about kicking his pansy butt by now."

A little flushed, he looked away and gingerly rubbed the back of his head. "I may have bumped my head a little harder than I thought on the three-legged pole-vaulting challenge," he admitted. But he seemed to rally his fighting spirit then, and practically crowed, "So things are still settling. But don't worry! I just need to make it through this last part, and then I'll be—"

"Dead. Tap-out this time, Naruto," she said as other signs of concussion surfaced; like his unfocused vision.

He looked aghast. "What? Against the bastard? No way!"

She levelled him with a look and stopped pacing, holding him in place and supporting even more of his weight. He was definitely having balance problems. "Either you tap out, or I tap you out and you wake-up just in time Monday to come back to class again."

With a moue of defeat, he sulked a bit zig-zaggedly over to Gai and announced he was going to the infirmary.

"Ready?" asked Sasuke as he slid up to her side to watch Naruto trudge off.

"Yeah, though I feel like I just kicked a puppy."

"He'd take it better from you than me."

A twisted smile dawned on her face. "I suppose there was less bloodshed this way," she agreed, and they caught each other's amused gaze out of the corners of their eyes. They'd known each other far too long. "Come on, looks like Gai's ready to burst with the big finale."

Sasuke grunted faintly, mumbling something about her poor choice of wording.

* * *

"Kisame."

The tall man grinned sharply and pulled his attention back to the captain of the martial arts club.

Glittering black eyes watched him levelly, if suspiciously.

Towering over his fellow club members, Kisame reigned in some of his eagerness but couldn't resist teasing the man who stood in front of him, blocking his path.

"Oy, 'Tachi, aren't you going to make introductions?"

"There's no need to introduce you to someone you already know. And he has already gone back to his class."

Oh, Kisame loved riling the Uchiha. Of course Itachi meant Sasuke. But they both knew Kisame didn't mean Sasuke in this particular circumstance. In Kisame's opinion Sasuke was a sulky pissant—who cared about him?

His petite friend, however, was worth noticing.

Especially since Kisame realised more and more why she looked so stunningly familiar.

"Wouldn't you like to make sure he's hanging out with the right crowd? Your family watch out for that kind of thing, don't they?"

"He has enough sense not to involve himself in worthless affairs."

_The way you deliberately don't, _Kisame thought with a smirk.

"Anything further to add, Kisame?" asked Itachi, his eyes narrowing on his 'friend'.

Kisame grinned winningly, and had the audacity to wink, but held back what he truly wanted to say. "Not right now, captain."

Itachi levelled his dark eyes on Kisame for a moment longer, appraising him, before moving on to direct the team in an extended endurance run.

Kisame had no doubt it would initially take them away from the high school gym class; but would likely circle back at some point, so Itachi could indulge in his own special brand of self-denial and masochism.

Because Itachi was a self-flagellating pissant in his own way.

_Must be an Uchiha thing,_ Kisame grunted to himself as he gave a final stretch before joining his teammates.

The towering monster of a man barely contained his knowing grin about twenty minutes later when, as he'd expected, their route detoured back towards the students currently running The Gauntlet…

* * *

There was yet to be a successful competitor through the last stage of their obstacle course, and Sakura grimly awaited her name being called.

Sasuke had been called before her, and they'd shared a look before he'd set off, equal parts _good look_, _I'm right behind you_ and _I'll see you at the finish line_. A part of her did wonder at her potential to complete the course if even Uchiha Sasuke couldn't conquer it, but she prided herself on her determination and had promised herself that if nothing else, if he failed to make it through, she would just take it as all the more incentive to beat him at it, anyway.

Out of the corner of her eyes she caught sight of the university martial arts team returning, but her focus was on Sasuke.

He had to make it through.

And then she had to beat his time, she thought to herself with a faint smirk. Just because that would irritate him, and getting under each other's skin was something they did.

She moved to the side of the crazy timber structure Sasuke would be running, jumping, climbing and zip-lining through, and caught his eye one last time, and winked.

He smirked back, and waved her off, but she caught the slight softening of his features.

When Gai's whistle blew, she jumped and cheered with everyone else—because this was Uchiha Sasuke, which of course meant everyone was on their feet to encourage him. Without a word he set off like a shot, and the cheers grew louder at each stage he completed.

"Come on, Uchiha!" she called, laughing.

It was harrowing to watch, but sure enough, despite getting a bit battered he made his way through the checkpoints, collected his flags, and finally lit the Olympic-inspired Flame of Youth at the top of the rickety parapet.

"Time!" called Gai as the flame shot up, nearly taking off Sasuke's eyebrows, and he stumbled back a bit, bumping into the flimsy guardrail tacked on to the platforms rim. "Five minutes twenty seven seconds – well done, Uchiha!" applauded their proud teacher, and Sasuke leaned forward to catch his breath a moment, nodding, before climbing down from the top of the platform. "You're less than twenty seconds off the record!"

"And the first to complete it in three years," added Sakura as he approached her, her smile beaming at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes bright, but when their eyes met his shoulders relaxed a bit.

"Nothing to it," he said, though he casually rubbed his forehead for a moment, as if wiping the sweat from it.

"They're still there," Sakura said cheekily and instead of sniping back at her for once, he just huffed. And bumped her hip with his.

"The owner of that hair-tie just may require it back before you make your run," he said mildly, arms crossed lightly across his still-heaving chest, "and I doubt your hair would fare as well as mine just did."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Spoil sport. I bet everyone would love to see me end up a human torch. I'd finally be Gai's Flame of Youth personified. I bet he'd give me bonus points for gutsy youthfulness."

He snorted softly beside her, and she grinned, watching the next poor sap run the obstacle course, and scream and voluntarily fling themselves off by the third obstacle.

"Those crossbows were a bit much."

"Nah, they just encourage you to be agile," he countered, blasé.

They watched another student shaking as he walked up to the start-line, glancing fearfully at their sadistic gym teacher.

"So, plans for tonight?" he asked, his eyes still on the runner, who by now had decided to say the Lord's prayer before setting off, bent on their knees, still on the start-line.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her arms crossed over her chest, too as she unconsciously copied his stance. She thought over her lack of plans, and grimaced to herself at how geeky she sounded.

"Not really… There's the party at Ino's tomorrow, but I had thought I'd just stay home tonight. Mom and dad are still away at that conference. We have that project for Economics due in a few weeks; I was going to take a look at the list of possible topics and see what hooked my fancy," she said, and winced as she saw the poor sucker on the course felled by the swinging pendulums before sailing through the air and crashing into the pit of voles.

More screaming rent the air.

Gai actually paled a bit as he made his way over to fish the poor schmuck out, smacking wee rabid beasty-voles off him.

"Twenty says he's out for the rest of the semester," Sasuke remarked, calmly watching the strange scene.

"Thirty says he comes back Monday, but screams like a girl when Gai offers him the opportunity to make up his mark by a generous second run through," she tossed back.

Shoulder to shoulder, not even needing to look at each other, they each extended a hand to the other and shook on it.

It was old hat to them to place bets on the outcome of the wounded from Gai's class.

Sasuke fidgeted after a moment, though, and Sakura felt something about him change.

It took her a moment to figure out that his posture had straightened a bit further, and that he'd nudged just a bit closer, yet hadn't turned to look at her.

"Econ project. I was thinking about that one, too. We have the Chem presentation the week that's due."

"Exactly," she sighed, "and that one's team-based," she grumbled. She much preferred working on her own, but that wasn't an option in this case.

Sasuke glanced over at her, and opened his mouth to speak. "Want to look them over tonight, to plan? My folks are away visiting my uncle Madara, and—"

"Haruno! You're up!" Gai called cheerfully. "Watch out for that pit! The voles've acquired a taste for blood, now!"

"Fantastic," she muttered under her breath, turning back to Sasuke and smiling ruefully. "Sorry, I'll be right back. Wait for me?" she asked, giving his elbow a quick squeeze as she stepped away.

"Ah-… Hn," he said, and as she turned to jog towards The Gauntlet, he let out a low huff she didn't see.

Just a hundred yards away, dark eyes watched the interaction with rapt attention.

* * *

So far, no one seemed to have noticed that Sasuke had taken pleasure in watching Sakura's progress and Sasuke was grateful for this. Outwardly his expression was as remote as ever, but deep inside a part of him sometimes wondered if his eyes gave him away; they were always the hardest window into himself to shutter. Naruto, who knew him best, had never mentioned anything out loud; but Sasuke had a feeling the blond knew, or at least suspected, more than he let on. Luckily he was keeping those suspicions to himself for now. But there was something about Sakura that fascinated Sasuke and held his constant attention, and that was saying a great deal.

It was as he'd been watching her make her way through each stage of the death-trap that he noticed something odd. Towards the end, the platform with the Flame of Youth creaked once, softly, and stilled.

A moment later, the sound repeated.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched it more carefully before he took a step closer, his brow furrowed.

Two hurdles left to go before Sakura was to reach it—he was willing to admit he was more than impressed she'd made it that far, but he knew she wouldn't give up until she'd gone all the way. The wood groaned quietly, and a high-pitched squeak sounded; apprehension curled in his stomach as Sakura snap-kicked a dummy right off the landing she'd parachuted onto, and his focus was pulled back to the platform again.

Something wasn't right.

Sakura cleared the next level and advanced to the last, but Sasuke's attention was fixed on the structure.

_Something wasn't right._

There was a rapid movement racing towards them now, he caught from the corner of his eye, but it was the shuddering of the plateau housing the Flame of Youth that got him jogging, then running, then tearing madly towards Sakura's goal.

Sasuke didn't register Gai yelling at him—and subsequently screaming at Sakura to get her attention, to warn her, his concern mounting as Gai finally saw what Sasuke had—before he saw Sakura soar over the divide onto the parapet.

Sasuke cursed aloud, and his heart hammered with the adrenaline pumping through him. He rounded the back of the structure with his shaggy hair flying behind him from his speed and caught sight of what no one else had (because no one had seen it from this angle)—the biggest support beam was splintered and loose. As Sakura's feet touched down it buckled and the tower lurched, the wood groaning across the playing fields at the sudden jarring.

His stomach dropped sickeningly into his shoes as he heard her gasp of surprise—then realisation—and the beam cracked and crumbled and the structure shuddered and shook, swinging first a little, then a lot, to one side in its awful descent.

"Sakura, jump!" he hollered, his eyes searching for her above him.

"Sasuke!" she looked around wildly for him, already moving towards the sound of his voice. "Which direction?" she called, her voice steady with determination.

_Which direction! _he wondered madly.

"Haruno, are you there?" a smooth, deep voice commanded from behind him, and Sasuke was too relieved to be annoyed for once. "Go left three feet, hold on to the guard rail!"

"Ok!"

"Kisame and everyone else, go to the far side of the structure and bolster it as best you can—the goal is to slow it down, not stop it. Do NOT remain in its way if you feel it suddenly give," ordered Itachi to his team, now at Sasuke's side. The older Uchiha's pale cheeks were flushed and his eyes dark and shining as they assessed the plateau.

"Sasuke, onto my shoulders and reach for Haruno," he said, grabbing hold of one of the side beams of the structure and nodding to his younger brother.

Sasuke nodded quickly and placed his foot on the step his brother made with his hands, boosting him up quickly and smoothly. He stood on his brother's shoulders, Itachi clamping his hands tightly to Sasuke's ankles to steady him.

"Sakura! Grab my hand," Sasuke said as calmly and urgently as he could as he took in her tense shoulders and quick nod. She darted to the edge and threw up her leg to climb over what was left of the guardrail.

There was a series of snapping sounds then as the other supports started to give way, and Kisame hollered at everyone to get ready to jump back.

Sakura had just made it over and reached for Sasuke when a violent shudder racked The Gauntlet followed by the awful sound of nails popping and planks splintering.

"Clear out! Clear out!" shouted Kisame, his eyes going wide.

Sasuke's eyes centered on Sakura's and he saw her pupils dilate even as she furrowed her brow and moved faster and faster, scrambling down to get within reach. But she was still just a bit too high up, and he grasped nothing but air.

"Do you have her?" Itachi asked, chancing to look up.

"Almost," growled Sasuke, and reached as high as he could. Internally cursing, he made another grab for her.

"Not good enough. Land on your feet and roll," said Itachi shortly, and that was all the warning he gave before he dropped Sasuke.

Too worried about Sakura, Sasuke instinctively obeyed, but made a mental note to take this up with his brother later.

"Haruno, jump!" Itachi commanded, his voice flowing with every ounce of his authority.

With a quick breath she did, and just in time—before she'd even fully let go, the structure crashed to the ground, clouds of dust billowing up as the dry dirt around it was disturbed from the collapse.

* * *

It was several moments later before Sakura registered the shouting and yelling that was going on all around her, the adrenaline still pumping strongly throughout her body.

All she could see was white.

And all she could feel was downy soft cotton.

Someone shifted her slightly, and it was several more moments before she realised that she was being supported—held, really—snugly in strong, unfamiliar arms.

And someone was saying her name, quite agitatedly, too.

"Sakura? Sakura? Look at me, Sakura. You're ok, right? You didn't get hurt? Sakura?"

"S-s-s-Sasuk-ke?"

It took her a moment to realise that the voice that had spoken was hers. She wasn't particularly scared—hadn't felt scared exactly through any of it. Strange.

"Look up, Sakura, I need to see your eyes," said Sasuke as he gently reached out to touch her cheek and direct her gaze towards his, his own eyes dark and almost comically wide. His eyes were completely open to her for once—and very, very concerned.

"C'mon Sakura, just look at me," he coaxed gently. He glanced up at his brother, looking very young to her in that single moment. "Is she in shock?"

She felt the arms around her shift slightly and figured out it was Itachi she was clinging to, and knew he was shaking his head in response to Sasuke's question. "No, she's probably on an adrenaline high. In another few moments it will run out and she'll probably have some shaking before needing to rest and recover."

Taking his brother's words as gospel (as he always did, Sakura thought almost with a fond smile), Sasuke turned back to her and held out his arms. "Let's make sure you're okay—can you stand?"

"Of c-course I c-can s-st-stand," she said, irritated by the stuttering.

She didn't need to see them to know they were giving each other knowing looks over her head.

And then Sasuke had the gall to smirk at her a bit, slowly returning to the Uchiha she knew so well.

"Of course you can," he agreed, his voice the definition of patronizing. But the smirk did soften a bit as he looked over her again. "But let's see you back it up first before Itachi heads back to making his teammates suffer."

The soft puff of air against the back of her neck could have been an indignant huff or an amused snort, Sakura wasn't sure.

"Ass," she hissed, but the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth negated any venom she could have injected into the word. Sasuke huffed and rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with her lack of imagination.

With a quick word to Gai (who was busy corralling the other students to check on them) to show they were managing Sakura, the menfolk shared a quick look. She was beginning to wonder if Uchihas had some kind of mind-link or telepathic ability, and then Itachi slowly, delicately set her on her feet again.

Where her knees promptly buckled and she would have fallen if he hadn't had such startlingly quick reflexes.

Sasuke glanced at her, one supercilious eyebrow raised.

She glared back.

(Little did she know he found it looked more like an adorable, sulky pout.)

"I think a trip to the infirmary is in order," said Itachi quietly, gently picking her up again; though this time he carried her bridal-style, and Sasuke fell into step beside him brow furrowed and pouty.

"I can take her," he said, moving a bit ahead of his older brother to head him off. "You have classes."

"It's just as simple for me to deliver her; you could contact her family and meet us there. I remember where the medical station is," Itachi said, brushing off his younger brother's attempts at… helping her? Sakura wasn't sure; her head was a bit muddled, and the shaking was getting pretty strong, and she did feel stab of anxiety, now that she thought about it… Her breathing came a little shorter, exacerbating the anxiety, and she felt her stomach roll curiously.

"It is the adrenaline wearing off—you will feel fine in a few hours," Itachi said, glancing down at her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her shoulders curling up to her ears. She thought she'd been quite brave through the whole thing, but felt a bit silly and juvenile now that she couldn't seem to get her body to quit trembling. Or feeling like she just might be sick all over herself. And now Uchiha Itachi of all people saw she was about to fall apart. Fantastic.

_This day couldn't get any better short of a surprise colonoscopy,_ she decided. _In public._ Still bundled in Itachi's arms, Sakura huffed but it came out a bit shuddery and she felt her cheeks burn furiously.

I must be seeing things, she decided, because she could almost have sworn that she saw his normally tense mouth relax, and his brows unfurrow.

"Nothing to be sorry about; it is more than understandable. Sasuke will see you through the afternoon," he replied smoothly. "He is very dedicated."

Beside her, Sasuke's cheeks flared hotly for a second and his face tightened. But something occurred to him then, and he turned back to Sakura with purpose.

"And the evening. You aren't going home on your own tonight, Sakura, and _there's no arguing about this_," he said, glaring right back at her when she looked at him sharply, already opening her mouth to object. "You can stay in the guest room. Your parents are still away. We can go over the Econ project tonight and then you can have an early night. When Mom returns tomorrow, she'll be thrilled to see you again, anyway. She mentioned the other day that you haven't been around in a while."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at him for a second in a glare before she let out a low breath.

Sasuke waited for her to argue, but when she didn't, he allowed himself to relax, his shoulders falling.

Itachi watched him a moment.

"You are also suffering the withdrawal post-adrenaline?" he asked his brother, his voice calm and smooth, his eyes returning to look in front of him as they headed to the nurse's station.

"I'm fine," Sasuke said in an almost-as-calm tone that didn't fool his older brother.

"Hn," was all Itachi replied, and waited for Sasuke to open the door for them.

* * *

In Sakura's room that afternoon, Sasuke leaned back on her bed and closed his eyes.

"You can wait on the couch, there's a tv downstairs," Sakura offered. "My room's pretty boring these days."

She had no idea how wrong she was, in his opinion, not that he had plans to enlighten her.

Instead, he stretched out more comfortably, taking up as much room as he could. "Pack. We're in no rush."

She chuckled under her breath then, and he opened one eye to glance at her. "Something wrong?"

"You remind me of a more restrained Naruto, all stretched out on my comforter like that, that's all. He loves my bed for some reason," she said, smiling fondly at some memory as she slipped her hairbrush, toothbrush and a few other things into a small bag. "I couldn't chase him out and we ended up sleeping in it together one morning, after we'd been up all night playing DDR. Since then, he decided he had joint-custody and left a pair of his PJs and slippers in my bottom drawer, 'just in case'," she smirked, and glanced at his reflection in her bureau mirror. Her brows knit. "Sasuke? You ok?"

"Hn."

Sakura went back to folding her pyjamas and spare clothes.

"Close your eyes," she ordered a few minutes later.

"Why?"

"Do it or you're getting an eyeful of my unmentionables," she growled, her eyebrows dipping in warning.

Just to see what she'd do, he smirked and instead turned to watch her blatantly.

-and got smacked by a pillow to the face for his efforts.

"Pervert."

* * *

They'd been going at it for hours.

They were red-faced, exhausted, but pleasantly surprised—and satisfied.

"See, I told you it was a good idea to work this out between the two of us," he said smugly, rolling to his feet. "Water?"

"Please. And don't look so accomplished—it took both of us."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Getting that much planning done on that big a project in one night? Admit it. You couldn't have done it without me."

"Sure I could have."

"But would it have come out as iron-clad as what we just did?"

He handed her the water and she pushed away from her spot on the floor by the coffee table to slip onto the leather couch behind her, gratefully accepting the offered bottle.

She frowned at him a moment before groaning and flopping only a little dramatically back against the couch. Their texts and notes lay sprawled out before them on the wide table's surface, evidence to their hours of brainstorming and debates.

His grin widened knowingly at her capitulation, and she flipped him the bird.

"Time to put things away for the night?" he asked after a few minutes had passed and she was still lying there, though her eyes were looking decidedly more sunken and dark.

She nodded slowly and closed her eyes.

"Yeah."

She slouched further and her eyes remained closed.

Sasuke took a moment to watch her unhindered.

"Are you feeling better? From this afternoon?" he asked surprisingly bluntly.

"Hmm? Yes. Just sleepy. Your brother was right. It's barely eleven and I'm ready to crash," she said, swallowing a yawn.

His fingers itched to slip into her hair and tuck the loose locks behind her ear. She had replaced her ponytail with a long, simple braid when they'd arrived, but it had loosened over the course of the evening leaving soft tendrils sweeping across her cheeks and forehead now. Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Sasuke?" she asked drowsily, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Hn?"

A faint smile pulled at the corners of her lips and in her relaxed, calm state, she seemed to glow with peace.

"In case I forget in the morning… Thanks for your help today."

Though she couldn't see it, he nodded. "Hn."

Strangely, she chuckled.

"Remind me to thank your brother, too. He was pretty cool, for an Uchiha," she teased.

"No. He's already too full of himself. Too much hero-worship may overwhelm him."

Which was when she started giggling, then laughing, and even he snickered a bit, relaxing again.

"We need to get you to a bed," he said later, when they'd calmed down—and then realised what he'd said and looked away as she finally cracked her eyes open.

"Is your guest-bed made up?"

At his silence, she opened her eyes a bit wider, her face becoming downcast.

"You didn't make the bed up, did you? You forgot," she said, reading him easily. And she sighed, pulling herself to her feet. "Okay, show me where the sheets are…"

"Take mine," he said. "Take my bed," he clarified, looking away.

"You sleep in yours," she pointed out, standing up and reaching her hands up, wayyyy up, to stretch with a feminine groan of enjoyment as her back cracked a bit. "Oh that feels better," she murmured with a purr.

_No, it doesn't_, he wanted to say.

Debating internally, he did a five-second tidy of the table's contents before sweeping up Sakura's bags in one hand and tilting his chin in the direction of the stairs.

"I'll take Itachi's room."

"This still puts you out of your bed," she pointed out.

Sasuke just shook his head. "He moved to his own apartment just off campus. He's almost never home, unless our parents are."

Surprised, Sakura looked at him more thoughtfully, remembering how often Sasuke's parents were away. "You're here on your own most of the time?"

He didn't reply, just continued moving towards his room.

When they got there, Sakura had made her decision.

"You stay in your own bed. I'm not putting you out of your own room," she said, trying to take her bags from him. He hadn't lit any lamps yet, so the only light came from the hallway just beyond, spilling through the doorway.

"Sakura, it's fine, it's just a night—"

"No—"

"Just lie down—"

"I don't want to. I'll just go—"

"Sakura!" he exclaimed, his frustration growing. "Just get on my bed!"

"I said no!"

"Do I need to make you—_rgh!_"

"_WHAT is going on?"_ demanded Itachi, his voice deadly cold.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: This fic started during NaNo 2011 and has been ongoing since. Thank you to Uchiha.s for her help and feedback throughout! All errors are my own.

Inspiration: "Forest Fire" by David Usher  
Inspiration: prompt: hair tie


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If it's familiar, it's not mine. **

* * *

"_I don't want to. I'll just go—"_

"_Sakura!" Sasuke exclaimed, his frustration growing. "Just get on my bed!"_

"_I said no!"_

"_Do I need to make you—rgh!"_

"_WHAT is going on?" demanded Itachi and while his voice sounded calm, his face was made of marble, completely indomitable. _

* * *

The fury behind Itachi's dark eyes was bright and terrifying and directed entirely towards his brother, and Sakura felt her heart leap into her throat—then felt her panic seeping in as she realised Itachi had lifted Sasuke up by his throat and did not show any signs of releasing him.

Sasuke made a faint choking noise, and Sakura's eyes raced between the two brothers.

What had just happened?

"I-Itachi, what are you doing?" she pleaded. "Sasuke can't breathe!"

"Sakura, step outside into the corridor a moment. I need to speak to Sasuke. Privately," he said in a dangerously soft voice.

Sakura floundered, wondering what had sent the normally passive, even-tempered Uchiha heir into such a state; and then their words returned to her and she realised how it must have sounded.

"Itachi, it's not what you think!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and begging him to just _look_ at her. "We were arguing about whether he would take your room tonight or I would, since the guest room wasn't made up—he wasn't—he wasn't _forcing_ me to do anything! I mean it! I was being difficult—please, just put him down, he can explain! I can explain!"

"Do NOT make excuses for him," Itachi said softly, his gaze finally turning to hers and sending shivers down her spine. By this time Sasuke's hands had clamped down on Itachi's wrist and he'd started trying to bend his brother's fingers back, alternately pinching the nerves of his wrist to get him to loosen his hold. It worked for him to get a raspy breath in, but it wasn't enough; if there had been more light coming in, Sakura was sure she would have been able to see the colour of Sasuke's pale skin changing and mottling.

"Now I've told you to step outside," he added, making it obvious he didn't like to repeat himself.

And it was that commanding, condescending tone that made Sakura's temper snap, and her Inner self surge forward.

Without another thought, she let go of his arm and seized his ponytail, yanking his head down until his forehead crashed into hers and she snapped his gaze onto her own unforgiving, emerald-hard green one.

She didn't see starts; she only saw ever-widening black seas, and she dove straight in, caution be damned.

Her grip tightened on his hair and she dug her nails into his scalp to hold him still.

"Now you listen to me you fucking Uchiha prick—Sasuke hasn't touched me or made any move to, he doesn't have that kind of interest in me, we're friends and have known each other too long to and he is MY BEST FRIEND, and if you don't let go of him _right now _I will kick you so hard where it hurts that when you swallow _you'll be able to lick your own balls_. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

There was silence, broken only by her harsh panting as she finished her very clear threat upon the future (intended) leader of the renowned Uchiha zaibatsu and captain of the most decorated martial arts association in the country.

And where most others would have at least started uttering apologies under their scrutiny, Sakura stood her ground without a flinch.

The Uchihas just stared at her.

And she didn't allow them too much time to reflect on how determined she was to follow through, giving Itachi's head a shake by the scruff of his neck, glaring at him.

"I. Asked. You. A. Question."

Itachi didn't dare blink as she held him in place, and slowly, agonizingly slowly so as not to startle anyone, he lowered his hands from Sasuke's throat and released his brother gently to the ground.

"Yes," he replied peacefully.

"Good." She turned her eyes on Sasuke next, looking him over. "You okay, Sasuke?"

"Yes," he croaked, refusing to show weakness or indicate how not-okay he felt by lifting his hands to rub at his neck. "Fine."

She gave a quick nod and turned back to Itachi, giving him a long, steady stare before releasing her hold on his hair and drawing away from him.

"I'm glad we talked about this. Thank you for your concern, Itachi."

"I meant no disrespect; I clearly misunderstood, and apologise."

Her brow furrowed immediately, and Itachi recognised his error.

He turned to his younger brother, and repeated himself. "I apologise for misunderstanding, Sasuke."

"That's better." Sakura's eyes swept between the two brothers twice more before she settled her arms across her chest and her shoulders drooped with a sigh. The fight had fled her. "Well, I'm going to go brush my teeth. Sasuke, you go get the futon from the guest room and drag it in here; Itachi, go get me a sleeping bag. And a pillow. I'll take the floor, and you get to keep your bed. Or something. Whatever, I don't care anymore," she mumbled, turning to find her bag on the floor where she'd dropped it. "I'll be right back."

With that she dug out her soap-bag and tiredly made her way to the nearest washroom.

When they heard the door close with a soft _snick_, and only then, the brothers looked at each other.

They looked at each other for a very long time, in dawning understanding.

The first to speak, Sasuke immediately went on the defensive. "Not. Yours," he said coldly.

"Not yours either, I see," replied his brother thoughtfully. To Sasuke, it almost sounded amused.

Sasuke's jaw clenched at his brother's words, and yet he smirked confidently after something crossed his mind the next instant.

"But Mom likes her too much to let you near her," he said smugly, and with that he moved past his older brother to go collect the futon.

Later, Sasuke would realise how masochistic it was to have taunted Itachi, but in that single moment, it had felt beautiful to gaud the immaculate Uchiha.

* * *

Itachi decided it would be a terrible time to start disappointing those around him.

Of course Sasuke's words held some truth; he should not go near Sakura.

But he could keep her close to him…

_And it would be at her own behest_, he mused to himself.

* * *

It was dark in Sasuke's room, the door was open barely a crack—Itachi had implied he was only thinking of Sakura's reputation.

"I only came home to act as chaperone," he'd said in his silky tones.

"Fuck you," Sasuke had wanted to snap back.

Sasuke rolled from his back to his side to look down at Sakura, watching her breathing and knowing she wasn't asleep yet.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey."

"I thought Ino was your best friend."

A soft smile crossed her lips, and Sasuke's dark eyes watched her hungrily for her answer.

"She is my best girlfriend," she replied with a small, stifled yawn, her eyes still closed. She shifted and stretched a bit to get more comfortable, and he couldn't help the tightening in his stomach as he saw her lovely, pale throat and peeks of her shoulders from the wide-neck t-shirt she wore. He swallowed as she continued, "But you and Naruto are my best male friends. I can't imagine my life without you two. You're a part of me."

He thought it over and grunted, his elegant dark brows drawing together. "You sleep with him," he mumbled.

Surprised, Sakura opened her eyes and turned to look at Sasuke who was suddenly very grateful for the dark room. "We've napped in the same bed… It's…" she considered her words, trying to find the right fit to explain. "It's… not a romantic sleeping arrangement," she said finally with a small, fond smile. "It's more of a brother-sister thing; maybe more than that—we're comfortable enough around each other that we can do that without it meaning more."

"He's loved you since we were four," Sasuke pointed out.

"And I love him, too, but not in the same way, and he's okay with that. He can differentiate the feelings and he has his eyes on other girls, too –I'm just different because…" she wondered how to phrase it. "Because I was one of his first friends. So I'm just stacked higher on his shelf of friends than some others. But I'm not on the Romantic Interest shelf with him. I'm on the Lifelong Buddies shelf. You're on that shelf, too."

"I am?" he said weakly.

She laughed at his defeated tone.

"Naruto sees you as his brother—of course you're part of his Lifelong Buddies shelf."

_Oh, that's what she'd meant… Naruto's buddy-shelf-thing._

"It's a pretty exclusive club, you know," she teased, and he huffed, pretending to be offended.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"What's up? Are you feeling okay? Your throat okay?" she asked in concern, but quietly so as not to irritate him with her personal questions.

"Just… you really trust guys enough to sleep in a room alone with them? I thought you were smarter than that."

"I only trust two guys to do that," she said, smiling again—he could hear it in her voice. "To be truthful, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with anyone else in the room while I slept, Sasuke. But you and Naruto, you put me and my interests first… when you consider them," she teased. "No one else. Not even that paragon of virtue you call a brother," she added lightly, and against his best efforts betrayed himself with a chuckle.

"So you're saying you don't see us as men."

There was an awkward silence, and Sasuke suddenly wanted to brain himself with a shovel. He was getting obvious.

Sakura moved in the sleeping bag, the light rustling giving her away, and looked at the ceiling; he wondered if her cheeks were burning as harshly as his.

Of course by 'us', he meant 'himself, Sasuke'… and Sakura wasn't known for being dim-witted.

He wondered if he could feign a spontaneous case of narcolepsy with any credibility. Or maybe he could go find a proper shovel in the garden shed and just head a head-start on digging his own grave. It would save on the shame. He was such a… No, he just didn't acknowledge his emotional reliances the way Naruto and Sakura did. He wasn't a coward, per se, he just… didn't have their trust in others to give his feelings any voice. He wasn't willing to risk being hurt, even if it meant he might gain something a thousand times better.

However, he'd forgotten that Sakura _was_ known for her courage under fire.

Her voice was slow and measured when she spoke again in the heavy darkness.

"No… I'm saying… I realise you didn't like it when I saw you… in that way. Years ago. And I've respected your wishes since," she said diplomatically. "You mean too much to me to lose you, Sasuke. You made it clear I was welcome as a friend. For lack of a better expression, I took what you were willing to give. And you're a cheapskate," she chided him mockingly, and laughed at her former self so pityingly.

Knowing her as well as he did, Sasuke was sure she was biting her lip. He could barely make out her features in the dark, but he was sure he knew every inch of her face and expression in that moment. Yet he wanted nothing more than to flip on the lights and drink her in, to read what her face was expressing that she kept from him in her voice.

"I'm… cheap?" he asked slowly, testing her reaction.

"Well, not with your attention," she said immediately, trying to soften what she must assume he'd taken as an insult. "I mean, do you have any idea how grateful I am to you for bullying me into working on that Econ tonight?" she admitted. "Who else would you have pushed so hard? Not even Naruto. But you make me work harder, do better, because you know how much it means to me that I come out on top with my studies. Because it's one of the things I value most. You know that about me—understand that about me, and _why_ it means so much. And you actually took the time to spend with me to make sure that I'm exceeding even my own expectations."

She shifted in her sleeping bag again, and her voice came clearer; she must have turned towards him.

"And like I said," her humour turned dry again, "I'm pathetic enough to take whatever you'll give me, Sasuke. I try not to ask for more than that, though."

Things were becoming clearer to him as he listened to her confession, and with each word he felt his heart beating in his chest, both heavier and lighter at the same time.

"So," he began, and swallowed as subtly as he could but his voice still came out a bit tighter and huskier than he'd intended, "You'd sleep with me in my bed as long as we were friends? Just like Naruto?"

Her response was a long, overwrought time in coming.

"Because you don't see me as a woman, you see me as a friend, yes," she replied guardedly.

"But if we weren't friends…"

"… not if we weren't friends, but…"

Their words drifted off as the tension held.

Sakura swallowed and then coughed to cover the obvious noise. He smirked and it quickly turned into a genuine smile, surprising him with its enthusiasm.

"You're such a bastard," she muttered under her breath, making him snort.

"This from the woman who cowed _the_ Uchiha Itachi with nothing but her bare hands," he said drolly.

He heard her shrink under her covers and groan.

"I'm never living that down, am I?"

"Ever," he sighed happily.

"I thought you idolized Itachi?"

He snorted.

Sakura huffed and turned back onto her back.

"… has he ever been scary like that before?..." she asked after some time had passed.

"Not in a long time. And never with me," Sasuke admitted quietly. He remembered when Itachi had been like that; when he had rushed in to protect him from their crazy uncle. The uncle their parents often went to visit, since he'd been admitted to the asylum.

They were silent then, considering the implications.

"I know you'd never hurt me, by the way. Well, not intentionally. I wasn't scared of you—just… scared for you, once I saw Itachi had you by…. Anyway. I know you'd never force me to do anything like that. You know, in case you were worried," she said, and he had a feeling she was biting her lip again when she finished.

"Of course I wouldn't," he scoffed quietly. "We're… friends."

And the awkwardness that had lifted during their brief banter descended again in a heavy curtain.

"If Naruto were here, we'd probably end up sleeping together under one big blanket again," Sasuke said, remembering their old sleepovers and trying to dispel the tension.

Sakura smiled fondly, remembering the times they would camp out in either her or Sasuke's living room, all their blankets piled around them, and all of them cuddling together underneath them in a snugly heap. Those had been the days.

She chuckled. "He'd make me sleep in the middle so he wouldn't have to risk accidentally touching you now," she said, and started laughing harder. "Could you imagine? I think I would laugh so hard if I were to wake up to see you two spooning each other like we used to! I remember when your mom came to wake us up that time in grade one, and you and Naruto were cuddled together so adorably she took a picture and-"

"Oy!" he began testily, eager to cut off that particular train of thought. He'd had enough of hearing it from others; to hear it from her would crush at least part of his ego. "We were kids. The only person I'd be spooning now would be-…"

He broke off barely a millisecond before it was too late, sweat suddenly beading on his forehead.

"… who?" she asked now quietly, her voice no longer muffled by her sleeping bag. The slinky material rustled around her as she sat up and looked at him directly. "Who would you sleep with?"

He swallowed, cursing his thoughtlessness.

"Who would you sleep with," he countered.

"… I already told you earlier, a friend," her words were barely breathed, they were so quiet.

And at that, his heart thudded hard in his chest, his head going light.

"Am I a friend?" he asked, staring at her in silent longing.

"Are you?" she returned, putting it back to him to decide.

She was good, he'd give her that.

That and more.

Slowly and obviously, he pulled back the covers on his bed.

"If you're cold…" he hedged—_hedged_, because he was not _nervous_-, and waited.

He held his breath when he heard rustling from her sleeping bag a minute later.

He thought his heart would beat right out of his chest when he felt the first dip in his mattress as she lay down beside, but not touching, him. Something soft dropped down beside his head, and he realised she'd brought her pillow.

"Your bed's comfy," she murmured timidly.

"Hn."

"And warm," she agreed, settling down on her back with a pleased sigh. "Thanks."

"Hn."

"Do you say anything positive other than 'hn'?" she asked, closing her eyes and yawning. Her day had been a long one.

He wondered about that a moment, and wondered if she would help him test out a theory…

"Maybe."

"What would you say yes to?"

He shifted closer to her, and readjusted their covers. "Ask me, we'll see."

"Hmmm…" she said sleepily, and was half-asleep as she felt his breath fan over her cheeks. She wrinkled her nose as she felt it, and he smiled.

To her surprise, she felt long, warm fingers trailing down her forehead to tuck some loose hair behind her ear.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Oh, I thought you were going to say 'yes'."

"Hn."

She yawned again, and automatically turned towards him to hear him better. Now his breath ghosted over her lips. "You feel pretty close," she murmured. "Do you need me to make room?"

"No."

"Let me know if I take up too much space."

"You never could."

She shook her head slightly, felt something brush her lips and reacted instinctively to rub against them. His fingers thrummed at the contact. "You're just saying that because we're friends."

"No."

"No we're not friends?..." her words were blending together in her tiredness and worried he would lose his nerve, Sasuke made his decision.

"No," he said, leaning forward; his lips brushed her forehead in the lightest of kisses.

"What are we?"

"More," he said, kissing her eyelids.

"More… than friends?" she asked tremulously, and she turned further towards him, closer, seeking more contact. He was more than willing to comply, sweeping butterfly kisses across her delicate cheeks in a downward direction.

"Hn," he murmured, his kisses remaining light, but giving in to a degree of the longing that had haunted him for so long.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, more alert now as the intention of the kisses had changed.

"Hn?"

"What do you want?"

He nosed a lock of hair away from her neck as he placed a small trail of kisses down her jaw to her throat.

"More," he replied in a low, velvet voice, his breath warm and moist against the shell of her ear.

"More than friends?" she asked more clearly, and he revelled in her quick intake of breath as he sucked on her pulse-point.

He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, dark and shining; his arms came around her then to draw her closer.

And when he stroked her back, he answered her questioning eyes with a simple, "Yes."

To his surprise, she looked down, away from him, causing his brow to furrow.

"Are… are you teasing me? Or," she swallowed, continued in a tighter, more restrained tone. "Is this just a physical… thing?"

Taken aback, he halted his ministrations.

"Sakura," he began, but she shook her head.

"I shouldn't have…" frustrated with herself, she pulled away from him. "I'm not easy," she said quietly. "Excuse me, I'm sorry I gave you the wrong impression. I'll—"

Torn between his good intentions and his poorly controlled emotions, Sasuke felt anxiety flare through him. He was losing her, and ruining what she'd worked so many years to preserve.

"It-it isn't just physical," he tried to explain, and refused to give in to the urge to grab her and hold her to him. He would not scare her. He was NOT the person his brother had misinterpreted him to be.

"Sakura, more than friends to me isn't… it doesn't end at the physical," he said, raising a hand to run through his hair irritably. He let out a low breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry I tried to start it there," he half-growled. "I was trying… I was trying to be…" He gave up in a huff, still trying to communicate in words what he'd felt for so long inside.

"… romantic?"

He glared at her, and looked away with a huff.

… then felt her small, warm hands slide up to his cheek to gently turn his gaze back to hers.

"Use your words, Sasuke," she said quietly. "I can't understand unless you tell me what you want."

"You know me, you know what I want."

She shook her head a little at his pouting. "I thought I knew what you wanted, but it sounds like I was wrong. I gave you space to keep you close," he thought her smile looked sad as she spoke. "This time, you need to tell me, to guide me."

His face contorted almost comically, and Sakura looked for a second like she would laugh at his discomfort—but she didn't, and he thanked the heavens for small favours.

"Tell me what you want. I will listen," she promised, and the hand that had been on his cheek swept into his hair before resting on his shoulder in trust. She smiled at him in encouragement.

"I want you," he said after thinking about her words. "I have for a long time. I worry about you. I care about you. I dream about you." He swallowed again and tried to clear the huskiness from his voice before he began again.

"I want you," he continued, his confidence still shaky as he revealed more. "I don't know exactly when things changed, but I don't want to be 'just' your friend anymore. I don't want you to put me on the same shelf Naruto does for the two of us. I want to have an 'us'."

Her eyes opened wider, and she gripped his shoulder more tightly.

But still she listened.

"I want you," he repeated a third time. "I want to make you happy. I want you to make me happy. I want to be the one you count on. I want to be the one that you smile at in a way that you don't share with anyone else."

Gaining momentum, he reached tentatively for her again, resting a hand on the dip of her hip and giving her a light squeeze.

"I want you," he said more clearly this time, more determinedly. "I want to make sure you're safe. I want to see you succeed. I want to watch you climb mountains and in a way, I want to see you leave me in the dust because I know how amazing you are and you are the most beautiful to me when you shine."

Her cheeks were wet now, and he was worried he was ruining everything and about to lose her, and yet he still kept on, because that was what she'd asked for, and he'd be damned if he denied her anything.

"I want you," he said meaningfully, leaning his forehead against hers, and giving in to the final, more selfish desire he'd tried to hold back until that moment. His eyes closed a moment before he opened them and fixed them on hers, not letting her look away for a moment. "I want to spend time with you, on you, in you, learning you and what you like and how you want it. I want to taste you with my tongue, run my fingertips over every inch of your skin, and I want you to do the same to me and enjoy it, too. I want to touch you. I want you to touch me. I," he swallowed, almost in pain, "I want to move in you and feel you around me and I want to hear you sigh, or cry out my name, or even just gasp as I bring you to climax. I know it's a fantasy, but I want our time, our first time, to be romantic and memorable, for both of us. I want you to look at me when I do it, and I want to see your eyes as you come undone. I want you to take me in your mouth and make me come; I want to fuck you against a desk; I want to make love to you in my bed, and I want to claim you the way no one else has or could ever wish to."

He took a breath.

"I want to kiss you, Sakura…. I want to make you mine."

He swallowed again, and the look in his eyes softened.

"And most of all… I just want to be yours."

Within his ardent grasp he realised she was trembling as he finished, and with little prompting he drew her close to him once more, and this time she came willingly, tucking her head into his shoulder as she absorbed his raw confession.

"Are you crying?" he asked uncertainly, rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head.

"I don't know," she said honestly.

"Did… Did I just ruin everything?"

He had to know. Far better to find out now and start rebuilding himself than to draw it out.

She sniffled, answering his first question; and then shook her head, sort-of answering the second, though it was a little debatable.

"But I don't think we can be friends anymore-," she said, brutally honest.

In reaction, Sasuke's stomach plummeted and he actually felt faint. There was a buzzing in his ears and he was struck with dizziness, and because of the intense nausea assaulting him it took a minute for her next words to truly sink in.

"-Because I want to be more than friends, too."

He felt her arms encircle him and pull him closer; and felt her lips brush lightly against his, searching for his decision.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked worriedly, and touched his cheek again. His skin seared under her touch, but in a wonderful, wonderful way. She kissed the corner of his mouth tentatively, then with clearer intentions.

And then she kissed him fully on his lips and his brain short-circuited.

Stars. He saw stars.

And he thought his heart may have exploded inside his chest.

"Hn?" he asked, still a bit dazed. His lips (finally) moved against hers and he felt like his nerves were all firing at once in excitement.

"Do you want to be more than friends?"

"Yes."

"Then could you kiss me, please?"

He could feel her smiling as he pressed his lips to hers for the first of their 'real' kisses.

* * *

**TBC.**


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to the dark, heavy curtains on Sasuke's windows, very little light filtered through to wake the happy couple the next morning. Tiny slants of sunbeams cast the room in distorted shadows, and it was for this reason that Uchiha Mikoto didn't realise at first that Sasuke had a guest with him.

So when she knocked lightly on his door, poked her head in and then walked across the room to open the draperies to let in the sun, she was quite surprised to turn around and find a pink-haired young woman tucked under his chin, his (naked) arm around her shoulders as they dozed on blessedly ignorant, pleasantly wrapped up in each other.

First, she nearly had kittens on the spot.

Second, she prayed to every god who'd listen that her youngest son had observed at least some form of protection. When Itachi had been Sasuke's age, she was sure that Sasuke must have overheard at least one of the, "if you're going to do it, for god's sake make sure you use a condom at the very least,"-rants she'd been prone to indulging in when she'd had to change their number a third time after the calls from his fangirls had escalated again. She'd begun to despair at the direct nature of some of the callers.

Third, she desperately wished she had her camera, because her son's sleeping face was more angelic and peaceful than she'd seen him look in years, and he and Sakura looked just so absolutely perfect together she wanted to save the moment and blow it up poster-size, and maybe share it with her friends to gloat about how perfect her sons were, and—

"MOM!?" Sasuke's horrified surprise ripped her from her happy fantasy.

"Mmphglshg-gah? Mrs. Uchiha!" looking like a rumpled pixie, Sakura gaped and tugged the sheet up higher around her—despite the fact that she was still wearing a t-shirt.

Mikoto ignored their outburst and tugged the curtain again _just so_. "Just a second, I nearly had the lighting adjusted—go back to sleep while I take one more shot, okay, darlings?"

Thank goodness her phone had a zoom lens. She'd have to thank Itachi for the thoughtful Mothers Day gift again, it was the handiest little thing.

* * *

"Good morning, Sakura," Itachi greeted her as she entered the kitchen an hour or so later.

Her eyebrow twitched. Did everyone in the Uchiha family need to witness her pseudo walk of shame?

Then she remembered how Itachi had stood up for her the night before, and how she'd reacted, and she realised she did owe him an apology.

"Morning," she said awkwardly, and glanced away for a minute, wondering where her femme-balls had done. Hadn't she threatened to impair the man's procreative abilities just a few hours ago?

"Um, I'm sorry I was so…"

Awkward silence.

"Horrifically possessed?" he offered.

"—last night," she said, gritting her teeth. She was sure she saw a glint of amusement in his eyes and she tugged on her braid to bring it over her shoulder so she'd have something to play with while he endured her painful apology.

Then she sighed, and rubbed at her face. What the hell. She could do better. He deserved better. He'd been trying to help.

So Sakura looked up at Itachi clearly, then, and met his gaze with her own steady, calm one. "I'm sorry I said that to you—but I want you to know I do appreciate you looking out for me. If the situation had been different, it would have… I would never have been able to express my gratitude to you, anyway, if that had been the case." She smiled then, and bowed her head to him in full respect. "Thank you for being my champion, Itachi—I apologise for any difficulty I caused you and Sasuke last night. You were both being gentlemen, and Mikoto raised a pair of fine sons. You make her proud."

She looked up at him again, and bit her lip. "But, if we could keep that incident between the three of us, I think it would probably be for the best."

"Understood," he said generously, and offered her the cup of orange juice he'd poured. "Thirsty?"

"Yes, actually, thank you. Again," she smiled warmly at him.

He waited until she drank before remarking, "You're welcome. You looked like you could use a drink. I see you were up all night with Sasuke?"

There was juice as high as the ceiling as she splurted in surprise.

* * *

His bed.

Sasuke stared at his bed, trying to figure out what was 'off' about it. (Other than the fact Sakura was no longer in it.)

It was the new pillow, he decided.

And then more clicked in.

It was from Itachi's room. _Itachi's own pillow._

The bastard hadn't gotten Sakura a new pillow; he'd given her his own.

And now it would smell like her.

Sasuke's jaw clenched before he calmly picked it up and took it with him down the hall.

* * *

"That was not funny," she groused as Itachi handed her a towel. She immediately went to work mopping up the floor.

"I disagree," he said, his voice warm.

"Ugh, geez, why do I have to embarrass myself every time I'm here," she mumbled to herself.

"What happened last time?" he asked, and surprised her further by kneeling down and helping her clean the mess.

She glared at him.

"Like you don't know."

He glanced at her, eyebrows raised.

Her cheeks burned. "Nothing. Never mind."

He was intrigued, but let it drop when she ducked her head again.

"We all have our moments of grace," he said softly, and smiled at her.

Sakura thought for a second that gravity had reversed itself—her cheeks growing warm for an entirely different reason.

_Wow. _

She felt… kind of light-headed all of a sudden.

And she couldn't turn away.

"You're… you're…"

"Hm?" he asked, and _thereitwasagainholyshit—_

Sakura mentally swore.

Then swooned.

"Careful," he tutted, reaching out to steady her shoulder.

"You need a warning label," she muttered darkly, and was rewarded with his low chuckle.

"I could say the same."

Her brows furrowed as she glanced at him, and she tried to puzzle out what he meant.

And gave up quickly. She was smart, but she wasn't up for a battle of wits with Uchiha Itachi before breakfast.

"I don't follow," she admitted, reaching over to snag another towel from the bar on the stove.

"You're a little thief."

That made her angry. "I am not," she said, glaring at him. Angel? No. But thief? Oh hells no. She had her integrity. (Just perhaps less of it and its cousin, grace, this particular morning.)

"You are. You have something of mine, and you haven't returned it."

Rolling her eyes and assuming he must be joking she returned to her clean-up. She ignored him when he came closer and worked alongside her.

"You don't believe me."

She huffed in irritation and gave him a look. "I appreciate that you think I'm capable of pulling anything over on you—and that you consider me a petty criminal to boot, thanks—but I couldn't have a single thing on my person that's yours, Itachi. I think I'd know if I took anything at all from you."

"I didn't say you took it—but you do have it. I can see it right now."

Unsure of what he meant, Sakura turned and saw him watching her attentively before snapping her eyes back to the ground.

_Don't look at him!_

_Danger! Danger!_

_Find something else to swoon ov—focus on! FOCUS._

Something skooshed over her fingers.

Her knuckles had found another puddle of orange juice, thank the gods.

She really had made a mess, she realised, distracted. Had Itachi planned the exact moment to make her choke so she'd have the biggest splatter radius?

_Yes, yes he certainly could have. He's that much of a bastard genius_, Sasuke's voice drawled in her head.

And yet, if he was a genius, why was he wasting his precious time on her?...

"What do you want, Itachi?" she asked carefully.

"I want what's mine."

"Then just reach out and take it—ngh."

His fingers slid into her hair and she felt her heart lodge in her throat as he came closer.

"Itachi—"

"Don't move. I don't want this to hurt," he murmured, his other hand coming around her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" she asked, thrown by his gentle, careful movements. She was quite proud of herself for limiting the language that was repeating so loudly in her head and decorating that particular question.

"Taking back what's mine," he replied against the shell of her ear.

Sakura felt a shiver go down her spine, and her stomach clenched at the silky tone of his voice.

And then she felt her braid loosening as he ran his fingers through it, and it cascaded in waves over her shoulder.

"That's better," he said, and she was sure she felt his lips against her cheek as he pulled back.

And held up the hair tie.

"Thank you for holding onto this for me."

With a pleased smirk he drew away from her, his fingers caressing one last time through her hair as he turned and walked away.

He passed Sasuke as he stormed into the kitchen, and accepted the pillow calmly when his younger brother threw it at his head.

"Thank you," Itachi said simply, and walked towards his room.

Of course, Itachi held it in place and took a deep breath when it nearly collided with his face, and Sasuke's dark eyes burned when he realised what his brother was doing with it.

As Sasuke took a step towards his brother, their mother Mikoto walked into the kitchen from the side garden door; she rushed to Sakura when she saw her crouched on her hands and knees on the floor.

"Sakura-darling, what happened?"

Startled, Sakura just looked at her for a moment.

"I made a mess… I'm sorry."

Hearing Sakura speak, Sasuke turned to look at her more carefully, and took in her fazed eyes and confused expression. And sexily mussed hair, falling over her shoulders and face in softly curled waves that begged a warm-blooded man to run his hands through them.

Mikoto reached out to touch her forehead and Sakura flinched; Mikoto drew her hand back apologetically.

"Are you feeling all right? Itachi mentioned you'd practically been in shock yesterday following an accident in school."

"I'm feeling a bit dizzy actually," she admitted faintly, and Sasuke grasped her hand to help her up.

"You need more rest," he said. "Come on, I'll bring you something to eat."

"Door open, Sasuke," reminded his mother gently. "Your father's coming home soon."

"Hn," he said a bit short, his jaw clenching.

"And Sakura, you may want to turn your t-shirt the right way around. It's back-to-front," the Uchiha matriarch added as they left the room.

Their cheeks burned.

* * *

**TBC.**


	4. Chapter 4

That afternoon, Sakura looked up from her seat on the Uchiha family room couch when she felt a slight dip settle in further down. Across from her on the other end, Itachi nodded once at her before bringing his own textbook up, the title catching her eye.

"More on Peace and Conflict studies?" she asked, temporarily setting her physics notes down on her lap. When Sasuke had originally mentioned his brother had broadened his original scope of study, she thought he'd meant he'd added a minor of some sort – but from what she knew of Konoha University's P & C department, it was a very challenging, multi-disciplinary programme. It also diverged from the usual paths most of the Uchiha family took in post-secondary education, usually police training or military academics. He was still firmly rooted in the 'defence'-type branch of schools, but… the 'Peace'-part was a notable (and she thought, commendable) extension of that. Itachi respected his family's views, but didn't restrict himself to them (entirely). She liked that about him; he was far more open-minded than most of the other Uchiha she had met (beyond Sasuke).

"Ah. There is a heavy reading load this term," he explained.

Catching his hint, she smiled and nodded, "I'll leave you to it."

His features softened and she was sure he was about to smile, so she ducked behind her notes again when he murmured, "Thank you, Sakura."

It was a quiet, but pleasant, two hours or so spent together while Sasuke assisted their mother with a few errands. Sakura had a feeling Sasuke would be grilled by his mother that afternoon while they were out, and felt a bit bad about him setting off to face her on his own. Not that she had volunteered to accompany them, she admitted to herself with not a little cowardice.

She was just finishing up the last of her assignment when she realised she didn't have one of the formulas she needed for a calculation.

Brow furrowed, she went through her notes again.

She was sure it had been there, she remembered copying it from the board when Ino had distracted her by asking a question, and—

Sakura's eyes widened.

-and she had turned away from the board to give her the answer, and then rushed out the door when the bell rang.

She wanted to kick herself.

She put a star beside the question rather angrily and muttered curses at herself for being so careless, and moved on to the next subject.

Beside her, Itachi read on, completely undisturbed... If a little amused.

* * *

Their cart was moving far, far too agonizingly slowly for Sasuke's tastes. And could the old biddies around them stop staring?! And what was with their tittering and smiling?! Ugh.

"—and you know your father and I really enjoy having Sakura around, she's always been a good influence on you, so if you want her to visit more often, we're perfectly supportive, but if she's going to stay over, I think it's best if she stays in the guest room, at least initially, but in a few months, once you're both eighteen, and if her family's okay with it too, and as long as you have someone at home to be considered a chaperone, if you both want to stay in your own room overnight, we won't say anything, and oh look, we're back at the family planning aisle again, funny, I think this is the fourth time we're stopping by this, isn't it?, are you sure you don't need—"

"No. Thank you," growled Sasuke, his patience strung tauter than a tight-rope. "Are we done with the list? Sakura and I have assignments to complete—"

"See! I knew I was right, she's a wonderful influence on you!" Mikoto Uchiha gushed with happiness at his willingness to return to his studies. "And really, I'm happy to cover any cost of these things, Sasuke, you need only to ask, I'm only thinking of you and Sakura-darling, because you're both still so young, but you're nearly adults and I know you're ready to move forward into adulthood, but Itachi just never mentioned these things, so I was never sure how much he understood, and I want you to know you can rely on me and talk to me about anything, okay darling? I'm happy to answer questions. You're probably just like your father, so don't be embarrassed if you need to get the Magnums, all right? Here, let's pick up a few different ones. You can try them and find out which ones you and Sakura like—"

"Could we. Please. Keep. Moving?" he grit out between his clenched teeth, his knuckles already long-past white as they gripped the shopping cart.

"Oh, you'd probably prefer to choose your own, wouldn't you? Well, that's fine, too. Oh, we could go to the _Stag Shop_, or _Come as You Are_, on the way home, where it's more private, would you prefer that?"

What Sasuke really wanted was about three fingers of his father's best aged malt at that point, but he'd sworn upon pain of death to said father that he would not upset their mother's celebratory mood that day, and by the gods he would hold out until his dying breath, if he had to.

"Oh! Just let me text one of my girlfriends, she always knows where the sales are on for these things… Oh, has your father spoken to you about lubrication yet? I know it is slightly less of an issue for you men, but for a girl, especially a girl like Sakura-darling, it's probably her first time, so I'd recommend using lots of lubrication to make it more comfortable for her. And remember, Sasuke, a woman likes to be warmed up first, so lots and lots of attention to her beforehand, okay? Oh, she's already replied—it looks like we're going to _Come as You Are_!"

Harried and harassed, Sasuke dutifully followed his railroading mother to the nearest pro-femme sex shop. He was now ninety-nine percent certain he knew why his brother had never brought home a girlfriend.

* * *

When Sasuke dragged himself through the front door of his home again, three hours later, carrying two massive bags cheerfully emblazoned with purple lettering (_CAYA!_), he certainly wasn't in the mood to see his older brother putting the moves on his girlfriend.

And by 'his girlfriend', Sasuke meant 'Sasuke's girlfriend'.

"What you working on?" he asked tersely, wondering how long it would take to choke the living daylights out of his older brother.

Itachi glanced up patiently from where he and Sakura had been sitting together, side snugly against each other's side, on the large, extended-super-long couch.

"Sakura was having problems with one of her political science assignments, so I was showing her one of the readings from one of my undergraduate texts," he explained blandly.

"It makes much more sense now—this really explained the situation better! You should come read it, too, Sasuke!"

"Hn." Over his brother's dead fucking body. And there was quite a bit of appeal in that notion for the younger Uchiha.

"Oh, did you do some shopping?" Sakura asked eagerly, forgetting her studies when she caught sight of his bags. "Ooooh, lemme see!"

_Ohfuckingchristno._

"No need, I was just going to drop them off in-," he started, but Sakura was already advancing on him.

"Come on! Show me in your room, then. I've never heard of this store before, what's 'CAYA!'? Is it a new place at the mall?..." Sakura glanced over her shoulder when she heard Itachi chuckling, and gave him a look. "Thank you for your help, Itachi! I'll return your book when I'm done!"

"No rush, I no longer need it. It is yours."

"Thank you!" she beamed at him, and then dragged Sasuke by his wrist eagerly to his room.

"Show me, show me, show me!" she pleaded, and Sasuke prayed to die and disappear. In whatever order was most expedient.

"Really, it isn't anything important," he tried again, but Sakura tricked him—applying just enough force to one of the pressure points in his wrist so his firm grip slipped—and then ran off to his room with one of the bags.

She was deviant. This didn't bode well.

And _fuck it all_, now she had one of the bags and her curiosity wouldn't suffer that she NOT open it the first second she possibly could.

Sasuke's eyes widened to obscene proportions before he tore after her, ignoring the least-subtle thumbs-up his mother flashed him as they careened past her.

"Sakura, no—wait!"

"What are all these boxes of—"

And then there was a sickening pause.

Followed by an inhuman shriek.

Then a far, far more inelegant, human expression.

"…_HOLY SHIT!_"

* * *

Sakura was a bit pale, and visibly uncomfortable, when Sasuke made her sit down—but she bound right back up again when he went to sit down on the bed with her, if still not touching her.

"So these aren't… for now?" she asked in a high voice.

"No," he sighed, rubbing his forehead as he stared at his feet. "My mom's just… going overboard."

"So there are no… expectations… for right now?" she asked gently, just to be certain.

"Not until you're ready," he assured her.

"Because that's a whole lot of lube—I mean, I didn't even know they had 'special arousal formulas for women'—not that I think we'd need it, considering—" and Sasuke's head snapped up so fast that Sakura swallowed her words.

"—considering?..." he asked evenly.

Sakura blushed and looked away.

"Nothing," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest as her shoulders shrugged in.

She was avoiding his eyes, and for a second Sasuke felt terribly hurt. Did she think so poorly of him and his… things… that they wouldn't even need—

And then he saw her blush.

And then it all made sense.

_Oh._

And he couldn't help the cocky smirk that spread across his features at his realization.

Oh. So that's why she thought they wouldn't need them.

But his smirk faltered when he saw her eyeing a certain type of box warily.

"But… Then again…" she said faintly, and cleared her throat uncertainly.

He followed her line of sight.

"I had to go by the measurements on the back of the box—I wasn't sure which would be most… comfortable," he explained awkwardly.

And she paled again. "Really?" she asked weakly, her eyes not leaving the box.

A bit confused, Sasuke looked at the front of the box for the first time.

And he read the description inscribed in big, bold letters.

**Super-Magnum-Depth-Charges**—_for when your super-sub needs to dive super-deep! Ribbed for her pleasure so she feels __**every monstrous, oversized inch**__ of you!_

Oh.

_Jesus Fucking Christ. Shit. Bloody Hell Fucking Fuck. Shit. Fuck on a cracker. Jesus. Fuck. Just… __**SHIT.**_

"I'm sure most of that is psychological marketing," he tried.

Sakura was staring-and-trying-not-to-stare at just where he'd be donning the Condoms of Mass Protection, and he had to force himself not to cross his legs defensively in reaction.

"Maybe I should start taking my iron pills more regularly, just in case," she said, weakly optimistic. She was still staring-but-trying-not-to-stare at his junk.

Sasuke wanted to rip out his hair in frustration.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Happy weekend. ;) I hope you're enjoying this modern AU. Reviews are love, but not required.


	5. Chapter 5

That evening, Sakura joined the Uchihas for a family dinner at their (meaning, Mikoto's) insistence.

Itachi confirmed he'd acted as chaperone the night previously and that nothing untoward had happened between Sakura and Sasuke.

Sakura thanked him for taking time away from his studies to stay at the family home for the evening, and to help her that afternoon with her work.

Sasuke thanked his parents for allowing him to have a guest overnight.

Fugaku thanked them all for not humiliating him and the Clan, since they could use a week without some mention of their family's escapades in the gossip section of the local paper, because it was one thing for 'that idiot cousin of theirs, Shisui' to do it, but as leaders in the community, they needed to be mindful of their actions in public—Itachi.

And Mikoto immediately closed her mouth on what she'd been about to say, and fell quite unusually, tellingly silent before she asked everyone if they'd like extra servings of the main course?

At this, Sakura received a distinctly unsettled feeling in her stomach and declined the second helpings.

* * *

Sunday afternoon Fugaku told Sasuke to go help his brother pack his car, so the elder of the sons could return to the university early to catch up on the rest of his readings—since he had so altruistically chaperoned Sasuke and his guest that weekend on such short notice.

Shoulders stiff, Sasuke agreed and went to collect the last box from his brother's room.

Outside a few minutes later, Itachi was arranging his laptop-bag and some spare groceries in his back seat when Sasuke's long legs reflected in the rearview mirror.

_Ahhh… This could prove interesting, _Itachi thought as he straightened.

Sasuke's dark eyes were narrowed at him, and Itachi was certain it was because he'd noted Itachi was taking his pillow back with him. It was on top of the box Sasuke was carrying in his arms, exactly where Itachi had left it. The same pillow Sakura had slept on the night before.

It was certainly plausible that Itachi truly needed it… but the fact that Sasuke hadn't openly confronted him about it meant the younger Uchiha couldn't for the life of him remember if he'd ever brought the pillow back and forth with him before. So Itachi could claim it as coincidence in this case and there was enough reasonable doubt that Sasuke would neither deny nor contest it.

Instead, Itachi made sure he timed receiving the box roughly from his brother with his next intake of breath.

And he made sure it was a deep breath, just as the pillow bumped into his face.

Sasuke's dark, dark eyes burned into Itachi's at that moment, and the tension between them coiled further.

"Something wrong, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's hands had curled into fists at his side as he glared openly at Itachi, and Itachi was slightly taken aback at the furious, but faintly hurt look in his brother's eyes.

"No," he answered. And spun on his heel and walked away, neither turning back nor telling him goodbye.

Stunned, Itachi watched for a moment before carefully situating the box on the front passenger seat.

It was only when he was safely back in the master bedroom of his apartment that he took the pillow out again, and inhaled more deeply.

* * *

Kisame leaned against the door of Itachi's shared office, a thoughtful look on his broad face. He'd been waiting there for a few minutes and hadn't seen any shift in Itachi's countenance—which actually seemed lost in thought instead of its usual rigidly focused and-or aloof.

"Oy," he called in his growly voice, catching the Uchiha's attention.

And for the first time, he was almost sure he'd just caught the dark-haired man by surprise.

"Your head's in the clouds. Did something good happen this weekend at home?"

Itachi's gaze settled on his doorway and Kisame couldn't contain his smirk.

And then there was a glint of _something_ behind that impassive gaze.

"That good, huh?"

Kisame crowed when Itachi ducked his head down again to return to his work. He didn't miss the smirk the younger man tried to hide.

* * *

"So you're still okay to watch the kids on Thursday evening, eh?" Kisame asked as he and Itachi collected their tea from the campus kiosk later that afternoon.

Itachi nodded once. "I expect there are no changes to the usual routine?"

"Well the oldest is still terrified of you, the youngest is still half in-love with you, and the two in the middle are the live-wires they've always been. Oh, but careful—we let them have their library privileges back, and we think they've been investigating the chemistry section again. I wouldn't trust them around pyrotechnics after last time… Just try and have them all in bed by ten with no head trauma and we'll call it a success," grumbled the taller man, taking a sip of his tea. "And no cleaning up their messes for them, either," he said with a level look. "They know better, and they're taking advantage of you. And no fancy 'training' for them, Itachi. It doesn't keep them out of trouble, it inspires them to be creative. And sneaky," he added, glaring at the Uchiha, sure he'd caught the other man smirking at him for a second. But he knew Itachi was incorrigible, so he let it go. For now. _Damn sneaky Uchihas._

They walked in companionable silence for a few minutes, passing leisurely students and ignoring the madly dashing ones who passed them.

As they meandered from the kiosk towards the History department on campus, Itachi shook his head slightly to loosen his hair and tilted his face upwards towards the sun. If Kisame's eyes weren't deceiving him, he was beginning to suspect Itachi was actually in a good mood. When he saw the normally reserved man's shoulders slump from their usual stiffness and relax, Kisame's grin widened.

"I'll be damned," muttered Kisame into his tea, and shook his own head in disbelief.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been trying and failing to keep his eyes off Sakura all morning, and it must have gotten to the point of obvious when even Naruto gave him an intense, narrow-eyed searching look.

Sakura sat between them, but had stayed off Naruto's (for once) perceptive gaze.

"What did you do?" the blond demanded of the Uchiha. "There's something very different…" He squinted harder at Sasuke, as if that alone would yield the answers, and then rubbed at his chin as he leaned back with an appraising eye.

Sakura sat further back in her seat and made herself as invisible and silent as possible.

"Did you finally do it with someone?" Naruto asked bluntly, and Sasuke nearly fumbled his Econ textbook. Neither noticed Sakura's eyes opening comically wide and her face paling.

"Think about _where_ you're asking stupid questions for once," growled Sasuke under his breath. "And not that it's any of your business, but no," he added meaningfully, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto missed part of the equation, though, and turned to look at Sakura. "You mean I shouldn't ask around Sakura-chan? I'm pretty sure she noticed something was up, too. Didn't you?"

There was a certain barely-leashed panic that Sakura held in check when she tried to smile and casually wave off Naruto's concerns.

"I think Sasuke's private business is his private business, and sometimes, that doesn't include us, Naruto," she tried, stuffing her things into her school bag while half fell out in her haste. She was lying through her teeth, of course, and it backfired spectacularly when Naruto looked her over now, instead. He was very, very interested in why she suddenly _wasn't_ interested in Sasuke and his personal life.

"Hmmmmm," he mumbled to himself pensively.

Evading as nonchalantly as possible, Sasuke rolled his eyes and headed for the doorway of their classroom.

"When you're done playing detective, I'll be outside eating lunch."

"I'm heading to the, uh, library," said Sakura, shoving the last book into her bag crosswise. She smiled over-brightly at both of them before pushing past Sasuke. "I'll see you both later!"

"But-! Hey!" Naruto gaped at them as they left him to his own devices. It wasn't as if he'd planned on spending lunch with Sakura and Sasuke that day anyway, since he had a different schedule than the two of them that afternoon, but still, this definitely felt like being ditched. So why?...

"What the Hell," he mumbled to himself, and went in search of Neji, Shika and Kiba. They were good at reading people; they'd probably be able to figure it out.

* * *

"Smooth," drawled Sasuke when he caught Sakura hiding in the rear of the library a little bit later.

She flushed and crossed her arms in front of her as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Shut up. I wasn't expecting him to say that. Even if it isn't true, it was closer than I liked."

"Hn," Sasuke watched her attention return to the stacks in front of her. She really did have work to do, then, it seemed.

"Are you pouting?" she asked when he didn't come much closer.

"No," he scoffed.

She raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "We spent all weekend together. We get to see each other at school…"

He did move closer then, and after giving their surroundings a quick once-over, he moved behind her and slid an arm around her middle, holding her a bit closer.

"But my pillow didn't smell like you anymore this morning when I woke up," he murmured into her hair, inhaling softly.

Sakura's heart leapt into her throat and she felt her knees weaken when he stepped them closer to the wall at the end of the stacks, camouflaging her from view from anyone who may pass by their aisle.

"You missed me? This morning?" she asked confused, struggling to keep her breathing even. She didn't dare turn her head to look at him, her cheeks were burning too hot. They'd only really started seeing each other over the weekend… Sure, she was attached to him, too, but Sasuke wasn't usually a very demonstrative person. Sakura felt his hand splay across her tummy, kneading it for a moment before laying it flat against the thin material of her shirt. It made her dizzy, her stomach flutter.

"Last night, too," he admitted, his head lowering to lay kisses along the side of her throat.

Moving on some baser instinct, Sakura tilted her head out of the way, exposing more of her throat to Sasuke's warm, searching mouth. Her breathing became hotter, more wanton, as he progressed.

"I think we were spoiled this past weekend," she admitted with a smile, and felt him huff against her in a slight sulk.

"What are we going to tell Naruto?" she asked, trying to distract herself—and keep herself from gasping or moaning, giving them away. For someone so reserved, Sakura was amazed at how easily Sasuke could stimulate her reactions. She had wondered for a moment if he was as in control as he seemed, and found out when he pulled her even closer. _Oh._

"Fuck Naruto," he growled, and his hold on her tightened possessively for a moment.

And when Sakura was about to retort that Naruto was their closest friend, and they shouldn't keep him in the dark, and he would definitely figure it out, and if he didn't, then they risked being discovered which was infinitely worse, and—her entire thought process went dead when she felt his tongue against _themostperfectspotonherneck_ and she felt all the air leave her lungs in a rush, and a hand slip gently over her mouth to cover her faint keen.

Sasuke didn't bother hiding his smirk when he felt Sakura's head drop back against his shoulder; instead, he applauded himself on remembering and being able to find the same spot that had made her melt just a few nights before.

When the second ball rang some time later, Sasuke finally let Sakura go with a deep kiss that curled her toes.

"Lunch bell…" she murmured against his lips.

"Start of classes, actually," he smirked, loving the feel of her hair twisted in his fingers.

Her eyes bugged wide and his smirk widened.

"You-!"

"Mom wants you to come visit again this week. She likes having you around," he said, already picking up both their bags from the ground and tugging her into following him.

"Your mom, huh?" it was Sakura's turn to drawl, still slightly irritated she'd lost her entire lunch hour locked in Sasuke's arms, suffering from a determined bout of… okay, fine, she admitted to herself pitifully, it hadn't exactly been against her will. And did he have to figure out her weak spot so quickly?

She was too obvious. Or obviously inexperienced at this. Her blush intensified as she remembered the feel of his tongue moving against that one spot again, and how tightly he'd had to cover her mouth when she'd fallen back against him. Another fear gripped her then—she hoped he hadn't dared leave a mark.

Sakura considered this carefully a moment. They were at school. They weren't being completely public with their relationship yet. There was no reason to bring attention to themselves.

…_But Sasuke was a possessive bastard._

Erring on the side of caution, Sakura tugged the collar of her shirt up a bit higher, just in case.

For his part, Sasuke ignored Sakura's primping, but inwardly smirked at how easily he'd realised her skin could be branded, and now how she took the time to arrange herself after his attentions. The possibilities were many, _and he couldn't wait to…_

"Hn," was all he said.

As they reached the turnoff for the science wing, Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand warmly once more before passing her her bag and separating from her side to join the usual end-of-lunch throng of students dashing for their classes.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Happy birthday Nikolita!


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura caught Ino's surreptitious glance for the _enth_ time that afternoon and mentally groaned.

It seemed her best friend hadn't missed the change in her, and when the blond smelled blood, she went in for the kill.

When she saw Ino bearing down on her like a loaded freighter just begging to drag its hull across an iceberg, Sakura ducked into the nearest ladies room; Ino swooped in right behind her. With a pointed look at the door the assertive gossip had cleared the other girls from the room and locked the door behind them.

_Sealing the perimeter_, mused Sakura to herself in resignation.

And then Ino turned her laser blue gaze on Sakura expectantly, lips pursed, exquisite brow arched.

"Can I help you?" Sakura drawled, just to irritate her BFF.

"Cut the crap, Forehead. Out with it. Who?"

"Nothing, you're imagining things. Must be all the air getting thin in there," hinted Sakura, crossing her arms and trying to stare Ino down.

Ino just snorted. "Right. Yeah, no, quit messing with me. Something's up—you're different. Did you think you couldn't hide this from me?! Psh. Out with it. Who?"

"Does it really matter?" hedged Sakura, looking away towards the sinks.

"Um, _yeah!_" Ino looked at Sakura as if she'd gone daft. "Excuse me, but this doesn't affect just you, you know. I can't have you getting a reputation without my fully-informed express authorization. Now quit stalling. He better be good enough for us—I mean, you."

Sakura tried and failed to smother her laugh at Ino's haughty teasing. The other girl wore her heart on her sleeve and had always been protective of her. Feeling her shoulders slump in defeat, Sakura took a breath, glanced up at Ino again, and felt her cheeks heating, her eyes sparkling.

"Him," she said softly, her voice whisper-quiet.

"Him who?"

Sakura met Ino's eyes meaningfully, her cheeks going hotter.

Ino's eyes went wide.

Then her manicured hand came up to cover her mouth in disbelief.

"You're kidding-!"

Sakura bit her lip, her smile widening and shook her head.

"Jesus fuck—you screwed NARUTO!?" shrieked Ino.

"THE F—!? NO! No, you idiot!" exploded Sakura, rage flushing her further.

Ino had the gall to slump against the nearest sink, visibly shaking. "Oh, thank the gods. I was about to ask if you needed me to go to the pharmacy for some Plan B or something—Phew! Well, crisis averted—"

But unwilling to let go quite yet, Sakura stomped her foot and planted her hands on her hips.

"And what's wrong with Naruto!"

Ino looked at her askance, wondering if Sakura was being honestly curious.

"You know, let's get back to the real issue—who're you banging? And no skimping on details, bitch."

Sakura forced herself to regain some semblance of composure—Ino was just egging her on so she'd spill more than she was willing to. She knew Ino's games, and she wasn't giving in. Entirely.

But there was something she really needed to clear up, as soon as possible.

"I'm not 'banging' anyone, as you so eloquently put it," she growled, rubbing her forehead as a tension headache formed. "But I'm… seeing someone now. And it's… still early, but so far, going very well."

"Name. Year. Details, Sak, details," reminded Ino ruthlessly.

"God you're so annoying," muttered Sakura before she could re-think her words.

And only realised it too late, when Ino made a sick gasping, air-sucking sound.

_Ohhhhh…. Bugger. Well, that's one detail done_, Sakura thought to herself.

"You… You… you…" Ino's hand raised and pointed to Sakura in utter disbelief, her face pale. "NO. Noooooo."

"It's not that unbelievable," scowled Sakura, though internally she had to admit a part of her felt like gloating at her best friend's verdant expression. "Anyway, we're keeping quiet about it for a little while, just to see how things go. I mean it, Ino." She felt her gaze harden when she saw the dawning potential lighting up her best friend's face. "This is one of those things you need to keep between us, okay? At least, for now."

Huffing gustily, Ino frowned but put out her pinky finger; Sakura joined hers to it, twisting them together.

"Fine," the blond blew her bangs out of her eyes, and then shook herself back into her usual obnoxious-and-all-business self. "So, you know what you forgot in all that?"

"What?"

Ino's blue eyes sparkled. "Details."

While Sakura groaned Ino laughed and the pair gave in to hugs and giggling, the excitement finally taking its proper place.

When Sasuke met up with Sakura later to go over their project together (really), Ino gave him a knowing look, and just smirked as she bid them farewell. Sakura noted the frown he wore for the next few minutes before he settled in beside her, meeting her eyes with a raised brow. She smiled at him in reassurance, and he gave her an expression distinctly reminiscent of Ino's, _"Details—now"_-look_,_ which make her bite her lip to keep from laughing.

_So far, so good, _she thought to herself as she opened her notebook for the lecture.

* * *

Itachi was leaning comfortably back on the couch when Kisame and his wife returned home late that night, a pile of books and papers stacked neatly beside him and his ponytail only slightly looser than usual falling over his shoulder. To Kisame, it appeared the younger man was completely relaxed as he glanced up at the returning couple, gently closing his book.

"Presentation go well?" he asked quietly, presumably to avoid disturbing the children upstairs.

"Do you care?" growled Kisame, already checking the room for damage.

"What he means is, it went wonderfully," explained the beautiful woman who closed the door and went to hang her coat in the closet. She delivered a quick kiss to each of their cheeks before she headed for the stairs. "I'm assuming no problems tonight?"

"None."

"I'll go check on the kids. Thank you again, Itachi, we do appreciate it," she insisted softly as she climbed, waving goodnight. "Take care on your way home. Please tell your family I say 'hi'."

"My pleasure." Itachi inclined his head respectfully, standing to load his bag.

Kisame waited until he heard the upstairs doors opening and closing in a whisper before he turned to look at Itachi.

Then he made a grab for the one book the other man had left to the side.

"Aha!" he chuckled mercilessly, finally yanking the sketchbook free. "So this is what you've been using to show the demonspawn how to plot strategy against their old man, eh?" Itachi's eyes widened minutely, his lips tightened to a line, his back straightened and he faced Kisame directly.

"No—that is personal," he said and held out his hand. Kisame ignored his clipped words, though, and dangled the book out of Itachi's reach.

"Liar," snorted the taller man, and he moved away from the advancing Uchiha. "So, what was tonight's lesson? Misdirection? Counter-intelligence? Creative uses for mild explosives—and I swear, if they mess with the ensuite toilet again, I'm taking it out of your babysitting fees."

"You don't pay me; return that book to me," the dark-eyed man's face had gone stony, his eyes hardening as he moved in on Kisame.

The older man flipped open the sketchbook a few pages, thumbing through them without looking at them. "I only want to take a peek at—"

Itachi was advancing on him with full determination and a cold look on his face. "Kisame, I insist. It has nothing to do with the kids; it isn't yours, now—"

"—why are you so protective? Let me guess, you actually left a picture in here of what you taught them tonight, didn't you? Hah! Well the joke's on… you…"

Kisame blinked once as his eyes landed on the page, and then went flat.

Itachi had a feeling he knew exactly which pictures he'd just found, and slowed down. There was no point in trying to hide it now.

So he waited, still glaring at Kisame. It was one thing to take their usual teasing a bit further, but this was an invasion of privacy, and both knew it.

Kisame actually flipped the page, and after a few moments of looking it over, flipped to another.

"Three things," began the older man in a quiet, steady voice that immediately grated on Itachi's nerves; and made the hair on his arms rise in warning.

"First, don't ever bring something with pictures like this into this house again. There are children here."

Itachi snorted; he knew his 'friend' had worse under his own bed. The kids had shown him earlier.

"Second, your proportions are off."

At that, Itachi was insulted. He knew they weren't. He'd been watching her, the object of his obsession, the prime subject—muse, if you will—for his sketches long enough to know her every shape, size, and movement.

"Third, I'm going to assume this lot right here," he said, holding a certain grouping of pages together, "were done after her 18th birthday, or you had better learn to lie and say they were."

Itachi held himself back from rolling his eyes, but it was difficult.

"And lastly," began Kisame, and this time he levelled his gaze until it met Itachi's, and held it meaningfully.

"You said three. Have you forgotten how to count after such a long night?"

"Lastly," continued Kisame as if Itachi hadn't spoken, "… make sure your brother never, ever finds this book," he added solemnly.

"There's no way Sasuke would ever—" began Itachi, but to his surprise, Kisame's face filled with fury and he interrupted him with a brusque movement of his large hand.

"Itachi! Do you understand, in that genius head of yours, what it would mean if Sasuke were to see this! Do you have a potato between your ears, or are you that ignorant of how he still looks up to you? This. Would. Ruin. Any relationship you have with him. If you know what's good for you, you'll burn this."

Feeling even more insulted, and now lied to, Itachi felt a tick beneath his eye as he glared at Kisame in turn. "And all your comments until now?"

"Uchiha, I honestly thought you were just trying to get a rise out of your dipshit brother," growled Kisame as his shoulders slumped. "But it really goes beyond that, doesn't it?" he remarked, and looked at Itachi with new eyes, his head shaking faintly in disbelief. "The women at the university fall all over themselves to get your attention, and the one who has it isn't even there," he snorted to himself.

"She will be soon."

"She isn't there now, Itachi, and that should be telling you something."

"We've attended school together in the past. Age isn't entirely relevant, once a certain point is reached. Look at you."

"This isn't about me—and I've never looked at…" Kisame sighed and closed his eyes a moment, praying for guidance. When he returned to look at Itachi again, he realised how tightly wound the man across from him had become. He was defensive, and wary, and… disappointed, he noted sadly.

With a growling huff, Kisame closed the book—gently—and handed it back to Itachi.

The other man reached forward to take it, and Kisame shook his head again to clear his thoughts, even as Itachi carefully placed it back in his bag, neatly wedged between two hard covers so it wouldn't be damaged.

"Honestly, I thought you'd been looking out for her because she was one of Sasuke's best friends. And for that, I admired your dedication. Seeing now that it's more than that is… surprising," Kisame tried, diplomatically, to mend the bridge between them. "I know you would never do anything inappropriate, Itachi. These pictures are actually beautiful—similar to Vargas's style, if I'm not mistaken?—and they show a very attentive eye for detail and character. But they also convey the artist's intention, too, and they aren't all innocent, though most seemed perfectly fine to hang in any room in this house. But the ones that aren't…" he sighed, trying to find the right words. "Those are the ones you need to be more careful with, all right? Just…"

Gods Kisame wanted to rip out his short hair—but he never thought he'd be having this conversation with Itachi. He didn't even want to think about what it would be like in another few years, once he'd be re-living it with his own children. He shuddered—he'd have to be out of town on a sabbatical that year. Or something. Let his wife deal with it.

"Itachi… be careful? And take it to heart, what I said about Sasuke. It isn't worth losing a brother over this. And you Uchihas are each more stubborn than the next," Kisame added, and turned his head to the side to yawn.

"But for now I need to head to bed. Gotta get the kids up early for some kind of tournament in the morning, I think. Maybe hockey. Or swimming. Or piano. Or godsfuckall whatever their activity is at the moment," he groused to himself, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Go to bed, old man," Itachi said quietly, pulling his bag up onto his shoulder. "And no more talking about this, Kisame. I know what I'm doing. This is the end of it."

Kisame snorted at that—possibly the most direct thing Itachi had ever told-_threatened_ him before.

"Get out of my house," he yawned again, and shooed the Uchiha away.

"By the way, it wasn't the toilet," said Itachi as he left the porch.

"Oh, bloody Hell," swore Kisame, wondering what they had booby-trapped that evening.

* * *

Late Friday afternoon, Itachi gave a nod of goodbye to the student who left through the doorway of his office, the young man already drawing his umbrella out to counter the rain that was hitting the windows in a soothing rhythm. This was the last individual who'd signed up for extra-help, and Itachi put away the old textbook he'd taken out for reference. Another day ended.

His thesis was well under way, he was tutoring during his office hours, and he was well-respected in his studies through his department and beyond… But it still felt like something was missing.

His fingers itched to pull out the sketchbook he was so used to running to when such feelings arose in him, but he'd (grudgingly) concluded Kisame had a point, and he was addicted to his inappropriate obsession. So he was forcing himself to distance himself from the book, just for a little while, to regain his focus and his priorities again. It was only now that he had put the guilty evidence away that he realised how often his thoughts had been straying to one Haruno Sakura. What Itachi soon noticed was just how frequently he had to pull himself away from those thoughts now that he wasn't simply indulging himself in thinking of her for a few minutes before returning to his regular work. He was nearly compulsive, and that made the entire infatuation even more unacceptable.

Even Itachi found it a bit shocking to note how many times in an hour he had to force his hand away from his pens for non-writing purposes; how often the outline of her smile had found itself etched into the margin of a page of lecture notes; how keenly detailed even a short sketch of her opening a door could be; how frustrated he'd become when he'd realised that he didn't have his green pen in his bag, because how was he supposed to shade her eyes, if he didn't have—

Already on autopilot, Itachi tidied his desk, bid farewell to the department secretary, and closed the door to his shared office that night. It was the weekend, his colleagues were long-since gone for the day, and he wasn't in the mood to work. He wasn't in the mood to do anything, but…

Thoughts turned inward, Itachi continued through campus, seeing but not seeing the remaining students who milled about, meeting each other for coffee or to head home together.

In a strange mood he couldn't put a name to, Itachi wandered towards his car in the campus lot, ruminating on what it was exactly he was feeling. It took some time, and the tappeting rain fell down around him like a curtain, isolating him and his mental maelstrom from the few around him.

It didn't happen very often at all, but he recognised eventually the feeling that covered him like a heavy wool blanket.

_Lost._

He felt just a little bit… lost.

It was a strange thing, he found, and uncomfortable.

And the cold rain pouring down around him, chilling his exposed skin just made it worse.

Having no plans that particular night, Itachi considered just returning to the martial arts club room, but wasn't interested in mentoring his adoring kohai for another few hours—in a way, he found the reminder of them immediately brought out his feelings for his brother, and he couldn't take that association at the moment. His empty apartment held little appeal, too filled with hints and reminders of how lonely he actually was. He'd never been the type to hit the clubs, unless it was to fill in and bartend at Pein and Konan's nightclub, _Akatsuki_, and in truth, the loud atmosphere couldn't have held less interest for him that night.

_And now I'm properly maudlin_, he thought to himself disdainfully, and dropped his bag on the floor of the passenger seat beside him, shutting the door smoothly and revving the engine slightly to encourage the heat to pick up.

Really, he would have words—or, more precisely, blows—with Kisame the next time they sparred. He didn't even remember the last time he'd felt so directionless.

However, remembering Kisame did bring a small smirk to Itachi's lips, and he finally put the car in gear and after a quick check of his mirrors, he pulled from the lot and turned on the radio.

Certain cultures should be just about fully matured, and it would be a good idea for him to make himself scarce for the next few days, anyway, he mused, and set off in the direction opposite from his apartment. Hopefully the kids would remember the antivenin he'd casually mentioned. Or their mother would reinstate their library privileges and they'd figure it out in time. Or the kids would figure out something else—they were resourceful enough, he'd made sure of that.

All in all, he wasn't overly concerned for Kisame's welfare.

Feeling slightly better at the pending schadenfreude looming over his long-time 'friend', Itachi merged smoothly into traffic, his goal decided. It would be too late an arrival to join everyone for supper, but he didn't think it would bother anyone. The family home was usually a fairly quiet abode on weekends.

* * *

Laughing and making a dash for the garage door, Sakura punched in the garage door opener's code in the security system's numeric pad, Sasuke drawing the SUV in just after her. He was scowling, but amused, and arched an eyebrow at her in return when she crossed her arms over her chest smugly.

"I'm going to remember that," he said darkly, turning off the engine as the door closed automatically behind them, the light above them chiming on with the motion sensor. "And you better not remember that code. It's supposed to be family only."

"There was no way you could have made it from your side of the truck to this side of the garage and back again in time to drive through the doors and gates before the gate closed. The remote's battery died, Sasuke; it was the logical choice. Or did you want me to drive your parents' eighty-thousand dollar SUV through the 4-inch side clearance the garage door offered, while you stood out in the rain?"

"Better you driving than most anyone else," he admitted, bringing in their (only slightly damp) school bags with him as they walked through the connecting door to the house, but he still sulked at her now bedraggled state. "But quit dripping on the floor—there are towels in my room, come on. You aren't sitting around wet all night. You can shower and borrow some clothes while yours dry."

"Sasuke, it's water, not sewage; I'll be fine-," Sakura protested, already stripping out of her damn sweatshirt to reveal the t-shirt beneath, but lost the argument the moment the chill settled on her and gave her a shiver. Sasuke's eyes hadn't missed the movement, and had narrowed immediately. And then, to her surprise, he turned away stiffly and headed down the corridor which led to the bedrooms.

"Shower. Bath. Whatever—you, warming up now. You can use the bathroom closer to Itachi's old room, there's a bench inside that'll be useful. I'll go get some clothes for you and leave them there while you…" Silence descended between them a moment as Sasuke's voice stopped, but he shook himself and continued on as if nothing had changed. "Just… go. I'll go wash up in my shower, and we'll meet in the kitchen. You think about what you want to order for supper, and I'll make the call when you're back. Towels, here," he said, shoving them into her arms and, taking her shoulders in his gentle but firm grip, he manoeuvered her to the other bathroom, far down the hall from his own regular one, and even further from his own room.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's brow creased in confused concern, the soft material of her hoodie digging into her palms as she felt her fingers tensing, the weight of the towels occupying her hands so she couldn't catch his wrist the way she wanted.

"Go. Now. Don't come out without dry clothes on," he said curtly, and turned and walked away briskly. "I'll go get them and leave them on the bench. Now go start the hot water," he said with a tight voice.

Sakura watched him go, curious, but shrugged her shoulders and turned to the large, spacious bathroom.

-but then she caught sight of herself in the mirror and it hit her that she had been wearing a snug white t-shirt, and after being caught in the cold and the rain she was reacting accordingly. Er, rather… visibly.

Her cheeks blazed in realization, and she cursed her ineptitude, even as her inner-Ino-voice crowed in delight and congratulated her on her well-played (if unconscious) move.

Huffing in mortification, Sakura went back to investigating the simple but well-furnished bathroom.

In truth, it was probably close to the size of her bedroom at home and left her feeling even smaller than her usual petite stature; but with a sigh she tried to ignore the expanse in favour of nipping into the shower cubicle and tossing her wet clothes towards the door of the bathroom. There were lights in the ceiling inside the stall, but she couldn't find the switch so she ignored them and entered anyway.

It had jets all over and almost immediately it filled with life-replenishing steam. Or that's how it felt, anyway, when she set foot under the spouts, moaning under her breath at the heavenly relaxation that immediately filled her. It was absolutely sensuous to feel her cold skin warming instantly as the hot water sluiced down her shivering body, and she just barely heard the knock of the door and the drop of the clothes onto the bench as Sasuke nipped in and out, shutting the door behind him again after he'd collected her wet clothes to pop them into the wash.

Her hands fumbled to find the temperature control and bumped it up another few notches, the room filling with steam.

Her fingers knocked aside a small, plastic box with dials, and she picked it up to look more closely at it.

_A shower radio,_ she realised with a grin. _Must have been forgotten here in this bathroom, since no one uses it anymore._ She quickly found her favourite radio station and had it playing just loud enough to hear over the rush of water around her. Thoroughly pleased, she finally relaxed and hummed along as she grabbed the nearby shampoo bottle, soon singing along happily. She and Ino had long stopped singing choir together, exchanging it instead for karaoke, but both had a long-standing love for music they indulged in whenever they headed out for their girls nights out with their friends to the k-clubs. She had never been comfortable with performing, but had always loved to belt out her favourite songs—and indulged now, when she heard the familiar strains of one of the more popular songs starting.

She didn't register the second click of the door opening and closing again, or the sound of more towels being dropped onto the bench, assuming it was Sasuke again just checking on her to make sure she'd found everything she needed.

And now that her eyes were closed, too, she didn't see the tall, dark figure approaching the shower she was currently occupying.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: An extra chapter for you in case I am unable to update over the next few days. Enjoy! (And thank you to those who are reading and/or are reviewing! It is very much appreciated.)


	7. Chapter 7

Tired and expecting to find only his parents at home that evening when he'd pulled his car into the garage and seen his father's SUV, Itachi had immediately called out a greeting and been greeted in return, by silence. He headed towards his room so he could relax in the shower before making himself a quick dinner. Some time at home to ground himself was what he needed, he'd decided, and was sure he'd feel better after some time with his family.

After undressing in his room and wrapping his towel around his waist, his hair loose now from its usual ponytail and spilling over his shoulders, Itachi had headed straight to his bathroom, looking forward to letting his thoughts go for a bit.

His surprise at finding Sasuke using his bathroom was immediate, and more than a bit irritating, given the circumstances.

_I take time out of my schedule to relax and he's taking over my space,_ Itachi fumed in irritation. He hated feeling maudlin or 'lost'—being thwarted in his attempts to relax was even more irksome.

On the bench where he normally placed his towels and his clothes, Itachi found his brother's towels, and his brother's clothes.

Worse, he found loud music blaring from the shower stall from which buffeted clouds of steam wastefully.

He could even smell the scent of his shampoo, conditioner and soap on the humidity, and it was like an insult on his already strained patience.

Now settled to tell off his selfish younger brother (_I am not projecting anything else into this,_ he told himself fiercely), Itachi banged on the shower door angrily before yanking it open, fully intending to ream his brother out for being so spoiled. (_And if I happen to terrify the pissant, so be it, he deserved it_, he thought viciously.)

"Sasuke!" he growled, not allowing his brother to get in the first word, "What are you doing in-!"

-only to meet the wide, wide, emerald eyes of a shocked Haruno Sakura.

A very wet, naked, and terrified Haruno Sakura.

A very wet, naked, terrified, _screaming_ Haruno Sakura.

And Itachi was so thrown for a loop he couldn't decide if his night had just gotten better or worse.

Sasuke's sudden apparition behind him, so quiet and malevolent, solved the dilemma of that last one immediately.

Itachi cursed his luck internally, even as he turned around and walked right out of the bathroom, pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened. There was shouting and gasping and shrieking and all manner of anger and hysterics behind him, and he ignored it and returned to his room, too tired to deal with it while he was also semi-naked.

Kisame would never find out about this, if he could help it. _Ever._

* * *

Sasuke had done his best to calm Sakura down, and together they now sat at the kitchen table. He held her hand and stroked her still-damp hair.

"We'll work until ten, then watch a movie. Get the worst out of the way, and then we'll relax," Sasuke had said, convincing Sakura to calm down and get through her work instead of wallowing in shame and embarrassment.

"Your brother saw me naked," she'd initially wailed, half-hysterical—

-and now kept repeating, muttering under her breath in a strained voice. "You saw me naked. Your brother saw me naked. What is this, Naked Sakura day? This is so… why did everyone see me naked? Argh…" Even as she hunched over her work, her mumblings still made it to his ears and he rolled his eyes.

"Would you finish your Econ assignment? I'm already working on pre-calc," he grumbled, and let out a huff.

"But your brother—and you—you both—"

Thoroughly fed up, Sasuke threw down his pencil and slammed his book shut.

Surprised by the loud noise, Sakura's head jerked up, her eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"Sasuk—"

"Snap out of it!" he yelled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Itachi barely saw anything—and he left as soon as he realised it was you! I barely saw anything, either, because I threw a towel over you before I even knew what was going on! And don't look at me like that, I mean it. Sakura, it's okay—really, we didn't see much of anything at all. You're making a bigger deal out of this than we are—and we already feel terrible, okay? I'm sorry. I know Itachi's sorry—and he'll more than likely offer to make it up to you any way he can, once he drags his sullen, guilt-ridden, self-flagellating arse out of his room," grumbled Sasuke under his breath.

He knew his brother very well, in some ways. Perhaps better than Itachi realised.

Itachi had always punished himself thoroughly when he thought he'd intruded on things negatively on Sasuke's private life—normally. Teasing was one thing, but he'd never deliberately hurt Sasuke or any of his friends. And even if Itachi could be a jerk at times (to Sasuke), he was an honourable man and Sasuke knew he'd never mistreat a woman—and certainly not Sakura, who'd been his friend for a decade now. In a way, Sasuke actually felt a bit bad for his older brother—it was obvious to him that something had been bothering Itachi when he'd stormed into the bathroom, because his older brother had rarely ever raised his voice to him; and he'd been yelling when he'd startled and mistakenly yanked open the shower door on Sakura. Actually, come to think of it, Itachi probably hadn't moved from his room since then—and that meant he hadn't had any supper, either, since Sasuke and Sakura had been working in the kitchen for the past several hours…

Sasuke's grip in his hair tightened a moment as his thoughts turned traitorously towards concern for his brother; and he realised that for all his assholeness, there was a good chance Itachi had only been teasing him the previous weekend in order to make Sasuke realise his intentions towards Sakura and to act accordingly. As much as Sasuke hated to admit it… Itachi may have just been acting, as he said, like a chaperone Friday past in order to protect Sakura's (and Sasuke)'s reputation.

And tonight they'd vilified him for an honest case of mistaken identity; and the man had spent the entire evening holed up in his room since to atone for it (and for no doubt taking his own anger out on Sasuke earlier—or initially thinking he was—when he barged into the bathroom).

With a pained huff, Sasuke closed his eyes a moment. There really was an honest chance that all the grief Itachi had given him last weekend and that night was in his and Sakura's best intentions.

And now Sasuke felt like a selfish ass.

"Put your books away," he groaned tiredly, his head tilted back as he forced himself to release his now-rumpled hair. "Go sit on the couch in front of the tv—hold on, I'm not done yet. I'm going to order pizza. You find something to watch. I'll join you in a few minutes," he finished with a sigh.

"But the work—"

"Will still be there tomorrow. We'll go back to it once we've had a break," he said, moving to her chair to pull it away from the table. "Do you still like extra pineapples on your pizza?"

Her pink brow arched at him slightly in question. "Do you still like extra tomatoes?"

He smirked, glad some things hadn't changed. "I'll order, you man the remote."

Finally relaxing a bit, Sakura held up a hand, and he gently pulled her to her feet. "Okay."

He smirked at her, and held her eyes for a moment, just watching her. And enjoying when she reddened under his focused gaze, turning away towards the family room. "I'll just… bring plates with me."

"Okay," he agreed, and swallowed the chuckle that rose in his throat as she bent her head forward so her hair would hide her blush.

He couldn't help his eyes when they followed her down the hall—and didn't bother hiding his amusement when she turned back to smile shyly at him as she made her way around the corner, heading for the tv room.

_Now, _he thought a short time later once he'd ordered the pizza_, to fix the other one._

And with that, he headed back towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

* * *

"Enter," Itachi's voice was soft, just loud enough to make it through the heavy door to his room.

His younger brother opened the door and leaned against the frame, hands stuffed in his pockets. Itachi listened to him, but didn't look up at him from the sketchbook in his lap. He was intently focused on whatever he was working on—Sasuke assumed it was another landscape, he knew their mother loved the natural scenes Itachi would share with her from time to time. But the stress lines had deepened visibly with tension in his brother's handsome face that night, and Sasuke watched him thoughtfully for a few seconds before speaking.

"Hey. What do you want on your pizza?"

"I can make my own meal later."

Sasuke was rolling his eyes at him, but Itachi ignored him. He was too engrossed in his work, his brow furrowed tightly as he focused whole-heartedly on the large picture he was outlining on the pad in his lap, his back against his headboard of his bed, his board propped up against his knees as he faced the door. His hands streaked furiously across the paper at times, slowed nearly to a standstill at others as his attention was completely eaten up by his obsession.

Sasuke noted this brother's utter focus, and had a feeling his words were only half-registering.

"…She knows it was an accident. She's calmed down... We're eating pizza—when it comes, at least come eat and watch tv for a bit, or she'll actually feel bad for making you feel out of place in your own home," said Sasuke, still watching him for a reaction.

"Hn," was Itachi's non-committal reply, refusing to break his concentration, and Sasuke continued his appraisal of him.

"Is that for school?" his brother finally asked, showing some interest in his brother's activities.

Itachi grunted genteelly. "No."

"You look… pretty intense," his brother commented curiously.

When Itachi didn't reply Sasuke's shoulders shrugged, figuring his work was done.

"I'll let you know when the pizza's here."

"Hn."

Sasuke nodded and left, closing the door behind him with another soft huff. Something was eating at Itachi, he was sure, but at least his brother had always had his outlet. If it wasn't martial arts, it seemed to be art. Landscapes, or other pieces of nature… Nary a face to be seen that he'd ever witnessed.

On his way down the hall, Sasuke paused. It was strange—it almost felt for a moment like he and his brother had switched places. Normally it was Itachi who would seek him out after a difficult or awkward encounter, and talk him around in his own way. His brother's people skills had always been more… finessed than his own, and grudgingly Sasuke admitted he was jealous of his brother's normally calm, confident manner. That evening Itachi had been angry and now isolated. It wasn't like Itachi.

Sasuke's brow pinched as he thought about how tightly his brother had been gripping the artboard when he'd interrupted him. Yes, there was something going on with his brother. And he doubted pretty trees were going to fix it this time.

Sasuke wondered briefly if his brother had ever sketched people. The landscapes were nice, but they always seemed to contain the same thing; cherry blossom trees in various stages of blooming. Didn't his brother ever get tired of them?

* * *

Itachi drew furiously, his fingers nearly black from the lead of his pencils and charcoal.

He couldn't get the images out of his mind, so he tried to expel them by force, committing them to his canvases and sketchbooks with obsessive precision. Kisame's advice had been warranted, and promptly ignored when he'd locked his door behind him upon returning to his room that night, post-shower-trauma.

In his room, Itachi had sat and tried to meditate; but after half an hour he surrendered and reached for his spare easel, untouched over the past several months. It was old, from his middle school years, but still served its purpose. Especially now. Shapes, curves and contours arched and scrolled across the paper he'd pulled from a shelf in his closet; leftover supplies from when he'd spent more time sketching, in his high school years.

It wasn't enough.

It was never enough.

And now, even though it had been hours, his imagination had taken hold of him and had twisted the images burned into his mind and seized his hands, manipulating them into what his subconscious must consider as critical to suggest, express, confess onto the paper.

After the first few pictures that he'd tried to casually pull off and put away, to indulge in and then chastise himself for, Itachi had given up on holding himself back and had let himself go.

Thank the gods Sasuke hadn't been able to see the sketch he was working on now. It wasn't vulgar by any means, but there was something about it… the contours of her smooth, bare shoulders and neck, the way her throat was exposed as her head had tilted back from the spray of the water, the curl of her smile as her mouth had opened, singing along happily, the light waves that the water had coaxed out of her hair, plastered against the curves of her décolletage, ear lobes, the rise of her ribcage… it was the openness of the picture, the way he had managed to finally capture Sakura's innocent essence and vitality, that captured him in return.

Itachi honestly hadn't even been trying to avoid Sasuke and Sakura since the mishap in the bathroom.

He just hadn't been able to get that single moment out of his imagination.

As he flipped the page gently out of the way—another version had already supplanted it and his fingers slid on the pencil's grip, a light sweat having broken out with its intensity—his eyes burned as he haltingly made the first few tentative strokes. Stopped. Lifted his hand from the paper.

_This is too far…_

Then felt his hands inextricably drawn back to the paper's surface. His long fingers started drawing the same image over again, but this time adding in a dark-haired figure behind her, bent low over her shoulder, her hands curled into fists against the shower wall while his mouth molded to her throat, and as she threw back her head in his mind she moaned in ecstasy instead of joy…

Itachi lost himself in the image.

* * *

"He's not coming, is he?"

Sasuke already knew what time it was and internally grimaced. "I took him some pizza to his room. He's venting. In his own way." In fact, Itachi hadn't even looked up as Sasuke had placed a plate with several slices of pizza on it on his brother's desk.

Unwilling to push too much more, Sasuke had left without a word and returned to Sakura's side on the couch, where they'd slumped over after eating too much pizza.

His arm was around her shoulders now and his fingers slid through her hair, playing with the varying lengths absently. Sakura had discovered that he loved touching her hair—it seemed to fascinate him—so she had taken to wearing it down when it was convenient. Sasuke's other arm was folded behind his head, propping it up slightly to make it easier to look down at her. His long, dark silky bangs had softened now that the end of the day had rung, and they fell into his eyes a bit as he watched her curled up on his front, his usual smirk slightly softer that evening. Having known each other so long, it was a very comfortable arrangement.

_And cuddling together on the couch watching late-night comedy shows in the dark was definitely convenient,_ Sakura thought contentedly to herself.

Not that she wasn't still a bit concerned about Itachi. "What does he do to vent?" she asked. Sasuke's older brother had always seemed so cool, confident and collected – it was still hard for her to accept how terrifying his broken composure had been.

"He draws, I think. That leather messenger bag he carries actually has a big sketchbook in it. He's never without it."

"I didn't know your brother drew… is he good?"

Sasuke snorted self-deprecatingly. "Is he less than perfect at anything he does?"

Sakura chuckled and curled herself back into her boyfriend's chest, and he arranged the blanket over them more comfortably. They were lying down on the leather couch, happily tucked together as the tv droned on.

"I'm sure he has some weakness," she drawled, looking up at him, their faces inches apart. "He's just as human as you are. No, wait, I stand corrected: he's just as _Uchiha_ as you are," she clarified smugly, and laughed at Sasuke's irritated pout.

"Hn," was all he replied, and Sakura laughed, grinning happily at him.

"I bet he says that, too," she teased.

"Oy," he reprimanded lightly, and untucked his hand from behind his head to look at her more closely.

Sakura just raised her eyebrow at him in challenge. "Yes?"

Then a light shone in Sasuke's dark eyes as his gaze fell to Sakura's lips, and a smirk broke across his handsome features.

"Want me to show you what I can do that he can't?" he asked, quiet and smug.

"Showing off now?" she teased further, bumping her nose to his gently.

His eyebrow rose elegantly as his smile turned more intimate, and the image made Sakura's heart beat just a bit faster.

And with that Sasuke brought his arms forward to wrap softly around Sakura, one hand slipping beneath the blanket to settle on the small of her back, the other tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear. The entire time, his hungry dark eyes never released her widening ones.

Her heart beat faster when she felt his nose slide along her cheek, his mouth fluttering butterfly kisses at the edge of her mouth, and Sakura felt a heady warmth rise in her while excitement bubbled tangibly inside her chest, anticipation building with each caress of his lips on her skin.

"Hn," he agreed lazily, and dipped his head slightly to catch her lips with his once, softly, the lightest press before he withdrew. He watched her lips, and then, satisfied with something only he knew, he moved closer to her again, now sifting his fingers through her hair to pull her slightly closer so she pressed against his chest, heart to beating heart.

Again and again, he drew her in with the softest, most tender kisses to her parting mouth, only to release her to breathe and bring her back again for another honey-sweet barrage of adoration; and Sakura's heart nearly burst from how quickly her pulse raced and how much she desperately needed air but couldn't seem to catch her breath because she couldn't believe Uchiha Sasuke was kissing her so beautifully, sweetly, attentively, patiently. She'd never dreamed he could kiss her like this, and it made her dizzy with happy desire.

She couldn't help the soft moan of pleasure that escaped her lips when he finally deepened the kiss some indeterminate time later, his tongue quietly probing at her lips to request entrance. When she granted it to him, his own low groan of want made her insides heat and tingle deliciously, and she shifted above him to get even closer to his warmth.

And then it was her hands that were buried in his soft, dark hair as she lay atop him on the sofa, the blanket forgotten as their open mouths moved against each other, their soft moans echoing in the dim room. Sakura felt Sasuke's touch changing, massaging and becoming more sensual as he traced down her back and sides, and a thrill ran through her when she felt the tips of his fingers slip beneath the hem of her shirt.

So lost in each other were they that they failed to notice that Itachi had finally come out of his room to join them. He stopped in his tracks as he came upon them, thinking he must be hallucinating for a second, or imagining seeing Sakura splayed across a pale man with dark hair so similar to his own it may have been him, panting and making the most enticing sounds of pure want for the man who was touching her. Then Itachi's eyes focused properly, and he realised it wasn't his imagination—other than the superimposition of his own image over that of his younger, less restrained brother. The images he'd captured in his sketchbook that night immediately flew to the forefront of his memory, but Itachi forced them away.

Rooted to the spot, he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the image of Sakura as she moved atop Sasuke, the sounds she made as his brother eagerly brought his hands between them…

Itachi swallowed hard as she moaned more deeply, and he heard the young pair turning on the cushions of the couch, his brother no doubt rolling them over into a more superior, dominating position. For the second time that night, Itachi both blessed and cursed his timing. But this time he did turn away, deciding it was an opportune occasion to make use of the shower; for a crucial, firm, upstanding reason that he would take in hand and resolve to completion while the steam and jets could cover him and wash away his stress.

Strangely, Itachi didn't feel jealous of his younger brother as he left them behind him. If anything, he felt a bit of pride deep in his chest—if stubborn and begrudging.

_Little Sasu-chan was finally growing up._

_Now I can treat him like an equal,_ Itachi mused to himself. The bathroom door shut quietly behind him.

When he stood under the hot jets of water, he let his imagination take him away.

He lost himself again, voluntarily this time.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Hope you're enjoying this. Warm thanks to everyone who's left a review. I will be replying this weekend, time permitting. Happy Wednesday!


	8. Chapter 8

_Over the next several months…_

Sakura looked up from her rough copy stack of university applications late on a Friday that January, as Sasuke slumped further down in his own seat across the table from her.

"These are the last ones—we're almost there!"

"Hn."

From the hallway that led to his parents' room, Sasuke heard shuffling and muffled talking, before it quieted again.

"Your parents have been really busy these last few weeks," Sakura said, following his line of sight. "Is it work?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Is your mom getting worked up about you leaving for university?" Asked Sakura with a sympathetic smile. "Mine calmed down once I explained I hoped to stay in the area and go to Konoha U. I mean, I spent all that time working hard at the feeder school, it makes sense, and it's one of the top universities in the country."

"…hn." His eyes flickered from the hallway to her before he straightened and picked up his application.

She reached across her papers and squeezed his hand. "Even if you choose to go to another university, Sasuke, it'll be fine. There are lots of good schools here in Konoha. We're really lucky! This city's practically known as a brain factory," she chuckled.

"… just don't know why he's causing so much trouble recently," Mikoto's voice floated down to them from the hallway.

"We'll have to talk to them again; see if there's anything we can do… unstable enough as it is… Don't want to risk a repeat…" A door closed; Sasuke's father's footsteps clacked lightly on the tile, then hardwood, as he and Mikoto entered the kitchen.

"Sasuke, Sakura," he greeted them with a nod.

Sakura smiled and waved and Sasuke nodded to his father.

"How are the applications coming?"

"Nearly finished! I'll be sending mine off on Monday, once I collect my transcripts," answered Sakura, patting the 'finished' pile. Mikoto beamed at her and collected her purse.

"That's wonderful, dear! And Sasuke, Itachi and your father were going to go over yours when you finish, so save some time on Sunday afternoon, okay?"

"We'll be back tomorrow, early evening," added Fugaku, helping his wife into her coat. "You can reach us by phone if you need us. No parties." He glanced at Sakura and considered her. "Would you like a ride home this evening? The weather's turning heavy; the storm is coming in sooner than they originally forecast."

Sasuke's brow ticked, but Sakura ignored him. "If you're in a rush, it's okay. I can get a ride home later. My parents left me some cab money."

"So they're finally home for a few days?" Mikoto inquired, looking at her son. He coloured high on his cheeks and turned away slightly.

"Er, no. I'm still minding things at home. I was going to stop by the store on the way home to grab a few things; the grocery store a few blocks away is 24 hours now, so I stop in there at night to pick up what I need," Sakura said. She glanced at the window, noting how quickly it had turned to night outside. The faint outlines of the nearby trees were tilted at a steep angle and tossed wildly in the wind. Her lips pursed. "I may put off shopping until tomorrow, actually."

Mikoto and Fugaku looked at each other, silently communicating; Sasuke sat very still.

"While we normally would insist on getting you home," Mikoto said, turning from her husband to address Sakura directly. "I think, in this case, it is just as well you stay here."

Fugaku's eyes cut straight to Sasuke, who raised hopeful eyes at his mother.

"However," Fugaku broke in, "as we are not going to be present, this leaves us in a quandary."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to impose," said Sakura as she gathered up her things. "Let me get my bag together and I'll call the cab now, before it gets too late."

Mikoto raised her hand—and her cellphone—to indicate Sakura should wait.

"We may have a solution," said Fugaku.

"Hello, darling! Oh, that music is loud… yes, I can still hear you… are you helping your friends tonight at their club again? That's so kind of you… yes… yes… oh we just wanted to let you know that your father and I are going out again this weekend—yes, yes, again… no, nothing yet… we'll tell you when we know…. Yes, well with us leaving we were wondering if you wouldn't mind stopping by to stay with Sasuke at the house… oh, that late?... I hadn't realised they stayed open that long… Oh, well, okay… Well, it wasn't for him, you see he has a guest and we thought… yes, actually… you wouldn't mind?... oh that's wonderful, thank you Itachi…. Yes… I'll let them know you'll be by later tonight…. They really appreciate it. Drive safe, we'll see you tomorrow…. Yes… you too!... All our love… 'bye."

As his mother's voice had chirruped along, Sasuke's face had fallen more and more stony.

"It's settled! Sakura, you're welcome to stay—"

"In the guest room," broke in Fugaku, arms and legs stiff and crossed as his gaze pierced his son.

"—and Itachi will stay over as chaperone again. Sasuke, be sure to thank your brother, all right? He's leaving his friend's club early tonight in order to help you and Sakura."

"We need to hurry, Mikoto," Fugaku turned to slip his wife's hand over his elbow. "We need to leave now if we're going to make it through The Pass before the weather forces it closed."

"Sakura, if you need anything, you're welcome to it. Including anything you need from me and my closet, okay? Okay, okay, I'm coming!" called Mikoto as Fugaku dragged her through the kitchen towards the garage with a mild shake of his head.

"Come along, they'll be fine," he grumbled—but affection rolled through his words, and Sakura knew he'd never change anything about his wife. While most of their friends—and the general public—seemed to be in awe of the Uchihas, Sakura recognized the deep bonds between them and the genuine love they shared. She hoped she could look forward to sharing that kind of connection in her future.

"Drive safely!" Sakura called, and the Uchihas thanked her before the door clicked shut behind them.

"Still want to work on applications? Or would you like to take a break to eat?"

Sasuke's voice was gruff and Sakura startled.

"Oh. I'll help you make something in a few minutes if you want, but I want to finish the applications first."

"Hn."

Without another word, Sasuke got up and moved to the freezer to pull out some leftovers.

Brow furrowing, Sakura watched him, wondering what had upset him.

When he didn't turn around and ask her to join him she huffed lowly and bent back over her papers again.

* * *

"Hi Itachi," Sakura yawned several hours later, covering her mouth with her hand as she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye. He leaned against the fridge as she collected her papers together into their folders. "Sorry to put you out like this."

His dark, long sleeved button-up shirt was tailored to make him look like a Bartending God, she decided, and didn't let her eyes go any lower than the first few open buttons at his throat. His belt buckle and jeans were hung low on his hips and dared her eyes to indulge. She did not. Much.

Thank goodness they'd met up a few times since that awkward shower incident; their interactions were faily easy going again, all things considered. They had even taken to teasing each other (after he had offered to strip for her to return the favour). Itachi had rescinded his offer after she had asked if she could also choose the music.

But for now, he untucked his hand just enough to wave her concern off. "Good evening—or morning," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Do you need anything before I go to bed?"

A small curl of heat spread through her at the rough, low quality of his voice, and his heavy lidded eyes.

"No. I'm heading to the guest room soon. Sasuke's just in the bathroom at the moment. Oh! His applications are on the table; your parents said you were going to go over them this weekend."

He nodded and shifted on his feet, swallowing a yawn. "I'll see to them. Thank you."

She nodded back as she heard Sasuke's feet slapping tiredly against the floor. "Well, it's my turn in the bathroom. I'll see you in the morning. Thanks for coming, we appreciate it."

His dark eyes shone a moment, before he murmured, "My pleasure, Sakura."

A surly slant to his expression, Sasuke arrived and quickly slipped his arm around Sakura's waist and drew her after him, leading her to the bathroom. He barely acknowledged his brother.

Itachi followed her down the hall and turned off to enter his own room.

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, Itachi leaned against the kitchen table and reviewed the folder left on the table.

Brows drawing together, he carefully sifted through the forms.

Head tilting a hair to the side, he uncrossed his feet and glanced around before stalking to his brother's room, sneaking inside, and ripping open the schoolbag he found inside.

_Not there._

Frowning, Itachi listened and heard Sakura's laugh coming from the tv room; followed by some inane comment from his brother.

_Not enough time, _Itachi decided, and put the bag back where he'd found it.

He'd speak to their father later, he decided.

* * *

A few days later, in a quiet kitchen, Itachi manned the stove and stirred tomato soup as it simmered. Across from him at the kitchen table, Sasuke looked up from his latest batch of assignments.

"You're helping Pain and his girlfriend at their club again?"

"Things have been busy—lots of students avoiding their midterms," said Itachi as he served his brother some supper. He was home on a weeknight, a rarity, but their parents had been called away again.

"You're still home a lot more often this term."

Itachi glanced at his brother. "Mother and Father are busy; they've asked me to ensure you and Sakura are considered above reproach."

"Would you really stop us?" Sasuke asked lightly.

Itachi's back was to him, and his words were quiet but clear. "I am here to protect you both."

* * *

Valentines' Day was marked enthusiastically by Sakura, and somewhat less disdained than usual for Sasuke.

"The flowers were beautiful! Thank you!" Sakura kissed her boyfriend on the mouth before pulling away quickly, teasing him.

"You didn't need to get me chocolate," Sasuke said, looking at the small box with his brow furrowed.

"Tradition," grinned Sakura. "I know you don't usually eat them, but I always make them for you and Naruto."

"Hn."

She rolled her eyes, used to his grumping on the Most Romantic Day of the Year. "Well, what do you normally do with them?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Itachi had always looked forward to his bringing home Sakura's chocolates on Valentines' past.

* * *

Sakura spun around in Sasuke's room, hiding her hands behind her.

"The door was open…" said Itachi, looking at her skeptically. "Are you all right? I thought you two had gone out."

"I was looking for something I dropped off earlier."

He arched a brow at her and straightened.

"I thought you went out for Valentines' day, last weekend?" he said, still standing in the doorway.

"We did. I had left part of his gift here for him. I was going to bring it back with me," she hedged, hoping he'd stop asking questions.

She bit her lip; his eyes followed the movement.

"It's probably best if you stay out of his room while our parents are not here," he advised, and stood back, holding the door open for her.

Wincing, Sakura smiled, somewhat grim, and made her way past him while trying to keep him from seeing what she had in her hands.

She had just about made it when he called her name and she spun around automatically, without thinking.

"Sakura?"

Cheeks burning, she glared at him—and was surprised when he chuckled.

"Go, put it in the guest room. You'll overwhelm him if you do both at once," he said, nodding in the direction of the jar of edible chocolate-flavoured body paint and the lacy pink lingerie top.

"Also… You look better in deep red."

Mortified, she fled the scene.

* * *

Sasuke carefully pulled the letter from his bag and read it over once more while those around him were neck-deep in preparation for their upcoming miderms.

"Hey!" Sakura scooted into his side and handed him a bottle of water. "Did you hear back from one of the universities?"

"Hn." He folded it up and slid it between the pages of one of his binders, deep in his bag.

"Congratulations! Which one?"

"Oy!" called Naruto from the other couch. "We're studying here. Can you two stop canoodling for two seconds while we master our Economics, please?"

"Finally decided you're going to run the free world?" Sakura said with a grin in Naruto's direction.

"I'll be happy with a pass—and not passing out from your tongues—gaaaah! Stop that! I need an adult!"

Sakura laughed and even Sasuke's lips twitched as he drew Sakura closer and snickered, his face buried in her loose hair and throat. It was too easy to tease Naruto, sometimes.

Beneath her shirt, his hand trailed down her back, fingertips leaving goosebumps on her sensitive skin. Sakura blushed and buried her face in the crook of Sasuke's throat, stifling her gasp.

She felt as much as heard his self-satisfied chuckle.

Naruto wasn't the only one being teased.

* * *

_And, months later…_

"And to our joint valedictorians—a first in our school's prestigious history-," the principal read, smug, "we present these awards for outstanding academic achievement and contribution to school spirit."

There was loud applause, and the orator gave a hint of a bow to the two students who stood on the side of the stage.

"Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, please approach the podium to accept your commendations!"

The assembly roared, and hand in hand the pair made their way across, accompanied by the hooting and hollering of their classmates.

"Now I'm sure everyone has been waiting with bated breath to hear where you both intend to study. So please share your wonderful announcements."

Sakura blushed as she leaned forward and shyly, but proudly, announced, "I've gratefully accepted a full scholarship to Konoha U to complete my undergraduate studies in Joint BioChem and Physics."

The applause continued as she stepped back and Sasuke approached next.

"I have accepted a position with the Oto group, and have decided not to pursue further studies at this time."

The young woman at his side whirled to stare at him in absolute horror, betrayal clear in her eyes

"You're… what…?"

The noise of the crowd had faded from cheering to polite, if confused, applause, clearly as confused as those on the stage.

"It's a much better opportunity for me," Sasuke said levelly, and ignored the way his stomach twisted painfully inside him at the wounded look on Sakura's face.

"You never said anything," she whispered, and saw the principal shooting them a confused look as their whispered conversation continued onstage, before the crowd. The principal's raised hands gathered everyone's attention and the twin valedictorians stepped back, automatically bowing, and returned to their seats at the side of the stage.

"It was my decision," was all he said in explanation.

"We'll be apart," she said softly, half to herself. She'd never considered that possibility. Hadn't they been friends since childhood? Studied together, grown up together, practically lived together this past term on weekends, when her family was away and his folks had offered to take her in so she would have company around her. The thought of not seeing him on a regular, daily basis was too alien for her to fully accept.

"You'll be able to focus more on your studies," he said generously, seeking out her hand.

But Sakura kept her hands tightly clasped together in her lap, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.

After a time Sasuke turned away from her and sat facing forward, not bothering to listen to the rest of the speeches and congratulatory messages.

* * *

The ride to the Uchiha beach house post-graduation with their limousine full of friends was loud and rowdy, but Sakura couldn't seem to get in the mood.

She sat in the front, between the driver and a dozing Itachi on her other side. The elder Uchiha had apparently pulled an all-nighter with his own work in order to free up his weekend to act as chaperone for their trip, according to Mikoto, and had needed a quiet spot for the ride. He hadn't minded at all when Sakura had asked if she could impose on him. She'd been so very grateful when he accepted. Her refusal to ride with Sasuke had visibly upset Sasuke, but he'd given her her space on the promise that they'd discuss things later. She could tell by the dip in his brow and the way his eyes searched hers that he was worried, that he could tell she was upset. She wasn't sure if he completely understood just how upset he'd made her. It wasn't just what he'd said—it was the fact that he hadn't bothered to tell her he was even considering not continuing his education prior to then. She'd been just as blindsided as everyone else. It hurt.

The party continued in the main compartment behind her, but she'd long since pushed the button that raised the divider window and privacy screen to seal the sound and activity out.

_Why hadn't he told her?_

_He hadn't even told Naruto!_

Her eyes stung for the dozenth time, and she took a long, deep breath in to hold & calm herself as she counted down from twenty. Then from thirty. Then from fifty, when the heat and pressure built even further, even as she fisted her hands and swallowed thickly.

The driver glanced over at her in some concern, but turned back to the road, always his priority.

So he missed the subtle movement of the gentleman on Sakura's other side reaching over and gently putting his larger hand overtop hers, and murmuring a soft, "He can't see you, it's okay," never opening his eyes.

So with permission granted Sakura let it out, painfully, choking quietly when the feeling of failure—_how had she failed as Sasuke's girlfriend when she'd succeeded in everything else? Why had he chosen Oto? Why hadn't he chosen her? What had she done to lose his trust so much that he didn't even mention his plans to her?_—overwhelmed her, but grateful for Itachi's quiet presence and acceptance beside her. It was okay to let her emotions out for a bit, she was an emotional person, and this had been nearly heartbreaking for her. And keeping her composure in front of everyone for the remainder of the afternoon had taken everything from her. She just… she needed to vent a bit. She'd be fine again soon, once they got there, but for now she needed a release.

His warmth and quiet acceptance comforting her, Sakura turned her hand and grasped Itachi's. Soon, she gripped his shirt as she wept.

It was some time before they reached the beach house, but barely a minute had passed when Sakura had curled into Itachi's side, exhausted, before he'd lifted an arm around her shoulders, welcoming her to lean into and cry on him if she needed to. He remained in his somnolent state, his head back against the headrest, his long legs outstretched; and his even breathing and warm arm around her relaxed Sakura enough that she soon drifted off, too, her emotions balanced again even if her fingers never released their desperate hold on the soft material of his fitted, long sleeve t-shirt. So, like him, she slept for the remainder of the journey.

Or so she thought before she drifted off.; in fact, Itachi dozed lightly but could not sleep. Tucked into the firm muscles of his arms and chest, Sakura was oblivious to the way Itachi ran his hands soothingly through her hair to help her relax in her sleep. Sitting in the front seat, separated from the rear passengers, she was also ignorant of the way Sasuke had tinted the privacy screen between the front and back seats from two-way black-out, to one-way see-through, his hands tightening aggressively on the leather seat he sat upon.

* * *

Beside the younger Uchiha in the limo's rear seating hub, Naruto noted the way Sasuke had tensed and gone quieter than usual, along with the way Sakura was deliberately seated away from the rest of the party. In fact, Naruto couldn't help but notice the way Sakura was curled up with Sasuke's older brother when Sasuke had flipped the privacy screen settings on the darkened film over the separator window between the driver and front seat and the rest of the limousine. No one else was paying them much attention now that the champagne had been opened and flowed liberally, so Naruto wasn't surprised that Sasuke had finally given in and snuck a peek at his girlfriend to check on her.

Sasuke hadn't wanted to bring attention to the spat the pair were having, and had simply relayed to everyone that she'd been tuckered out from all her studying and the preparations for the graduation committee and then valedictorian duties. Which everyone had accepted—except Naruto, who had known them both since they were all young enough to sleep together in the same bed (where the funny business they got up to involved shaving cream, not sexual tension).

But Naruto kept his thoughts to himself this time, and resolved to try and distract his best friend for the rest of the car-ride.

About to make a crude joke that he knew Sasuke would punish him for, Naruto glanced once more over at his friend's suspicious expression as it suddenly sharpened. He followed Sasuke's gaze and his eyes landed on the passengers in the front seat and at the way Itachi's fingers were now threaded almost lovingly through Sakura's hair as he smoothed them gently down the silky strands from crown to nape. And then saw Itachi very subtly shift his head, eyes still closed, so it tilted in the direction of Sakura's as she rested in the crook of his broad shoulder. There was a comfortable, peaceful aura that seemed to emanate from the pair before them, Naruto thought, _as if they were a…_

Naruto's blue eyes caught sight of movement out of their corner in that second; Sasuke's fingers had tightened on the seat, his gaze darkening with pure malice as he couldn't pull himself away from what he was seeing.

And then, his white-blond brows rising to his hairline, Naruto felt his breath knocked out of him in understanding.

* * *

_**TBC.**_

AN: Edited heavily… Next update should run a bit smoother (and come a bit faster).


	9. Chapter 9

The voices, one tight, the other soft and low, murmured through her dreams to rouse her slightly from her exhausted sleep in the limo.

"Shhh, she's still sleeping."

"I can carry her."

"She'll be waking her soon; I'll leave her in her room with a note so she can join you soon," assured Itachi.

"I said I could handle it, and I'm going to take her to my room so her friends don't bother her," Sasuke said, and even through her haze Sakura recognised his petulant tone and the way his words sounded tight; likely he had his arms folded across his chest.

Sakura felt her weight being shifted and realised she was being carried, her head still tucked into Itachi's shoulder. She breathed a bit deeper as a yawn prepared itself in her, and recognised his faint aftershave and cologne. Her nose tickled then, and she squirmed and started bringing her hand up to rub at her eyes and face.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

And then she was jostled quite rudely, and felt herself dropping.

With a swallowed gasp she grabbed tightly hold of the body she'd been resting against. Sakura's heart hammered inside her chest as panic flooded her as gravity seized her before the arms that had been holding her tightened frighteningly quickly around her, saving her from falling to the ground.

"Huh?" she asked shrilly, fully awake now as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

"Sasuke, let go of me. As you can see, Sakura is awake now," Itachi said, and Sakura heard the cold, even tones of his voice and felt the fine hair on the back of her neck rising.

Turning away from Itachi's warm chest, Sakura saw that Sasuke had grabbed one of Itachi's hands and held it away from them.

And both men were openly glaring at each other, eye to eye.

"Don't. Ever. Touch her again," breathed Sasuke in warning. He was taking deep breaths and breathing harder than if he'd run a full phys ed class, and Sakura immediately recognised his temper mounting.

"Her hair was tickling her nose, I was going to move it out of the way—now there is no need," said Itachi. Ever the gentleman, he slowly lowered Sakura to the ground, feet first until she caught her balance and then released her into Sasuke's custody.

Then Itachi glared at his younger brother, and Sasuke released his brother's forearm without a word.

Highly confused, Sakura looked between the two of them, not understanding what had happened.

"Everyone's waiting for you," Sasuke said after another bit of glaring at his older brother, though his words were directed at Sakura. Eventually he did turn to her and tried to school his expression into one of casual reserve.

"Come on, you're staying with me in my room, let's take your bag over. We'll join everyone in a few minutes," he said, taking he hand and gently pulling her into his arms.

Even more muddled, Sakura nearly tripped over her own feet as they reached the boardwalk that led to the beach estate of the Uchiha family, lush greenery providing a cool canopy overhead that shaded them from the setting sun. "I thought we each had our own rooms? That's what I told my parents, Sasuke-." Feeling rude, she glanced over her shoulder at Itachi and nodded her head to him apologetically. "Thank you for your company Itachi. I'll see you later."

"Ah," was all he replied, and Sakura felt a stronger tugging on her arm.

"You can change in my room, if you want. You probably don't want to smell like my brother," Sasuke muttered, half to himself, and Sakura wondered what in Hell's seven realms had gotten into her boyfriend. "And your make-up's… run a bit.. You can wash up," he added, though more sympathetically and delicately. And she caught just the slightest hint of the back of his neck reddening.

_So he knows he's the one who upset me, _Sakura mused. She nodded and followed him, even quickening her step so she could walk beside him instead of having him drag her.

When she bumped his side lightly with her elbow, he turned his stressed face to look at hers and just watched her for a moment before his tight shoulders relaxed and he slowed his pace slightly. His expression softened, and he let his breath out long and low.

Sakura raised her eyebrows at him in concern.

"Sorry," he muttered, and gave her hand an apologetic squeeze.

She watched him carefully before nodding once. He'd already said they would talk later. As much as she wanted to berate him for what he'd done—both on stage, and now with his brother—she knew it wasn't the time or place, especially where any of their friends might overhear or interrupt them.

"Later," she murmured, giving him a patient smile. It was the best she could manage without giving in to her very real urge to throttle the living daylights out of him and demand answers.

"Yeah," he agreed, and she didn't miss that his tone was tired and subdued, too.

But first, they had to get through a beach party celebration with their friends. In the distance they heard shouts and whoops of laughter, intermingled with the sound of the surf.

The wind was warm, but inside Sakura felt a bit cold. This was supposed to be one of the best nights of her life, wasn't it? High school graduation. Perfect boyfriend. Exclusive white-sand beach retreat.

Sakura ignored the hollow feeling in her chest, telling herself she could barely contain her excitement.

* * *

When she stepped out of his private ensuite bathroom, Sakura forced herself to smile at Sasuke.

"I'm ready to go," she announced, tying the knot of her sari a little tighter before she slipped a sleeveless hoodie cardigan on. "It shouldn't be too cold yet, right?"

She bent over and pulled a pair of flipflops from her bag, along with a towel and when she straightened she nearly bumped into Sasuke, who'd approached her so quickly and silently she felt a shiver down her spine.

"They have a bonfire going already," Sasuke couldn't help his eyes looking her up and down appreciatively. "But there's no rush," he stepped closer, his hands settling on the swell of her hips, a hint of his usual smirk surfacing.

She arched an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "You're the host, Sasuke," she remarked dryly, even as she let him pull her against him and wrap his arms around her, his dark eyes staring down at her intently. "You aren't seriously planning on leaving that crowd down there unattended, are you? Kiba's one thing when he's on his own, but he's teamed up with Naruto. You sure your parents have insurance against that kind of liability?" she teased, her hands settling on the flat muscles of his chest. "I'm pretty sure that when you add their alcohol _in_tolerances into the equation the risk ranks up there with 'Acts of God'."

He continued peering down at her, his eyes hooded and his expression peaceful and thoughtful enough that Sakura felt heat rising to her cheeks.

"What?" she asked self-consciously. "Did I not get all the mascara off?" she muttered, starting to turn away to look for a mirror. Sasuke's hand gently cupping her cheek and bringing her face back to his slowly, delicately, halted her movements.

And once more, his eyes met hers, trying to communicate something earnest and genuine and—

He leaned down closer to her, his breath fanning over her cheeks. "Do that again," he requested quietly, his thumb brushing her cheek.

"Do what?" she whispered, unsure of her voice and her stomach tightening at the focused tenderness in his gaze. The request for patience, forgiveness, time.

"Smile. For me. You've barely smiled today," he said, and his forehead met hers as he closed his eyes. "It felt like you were upset with me all day," he admitted gruffly, and his thumb slid softly over her lips as he shook his head lightly once, stopping her as she was about to speak. "No, wait. I know. I upset you. But… I really did think this through. I want to tell you about it. Tonight. Everything. Tonight, I want…"

His breath caught and he pulled Sakura even closer to him, resting his head in the crook of her shoulder as he nuzzled her throat.

Sasuke's breath blew out long and low as he seemed to battle himself, his arms tightening around her as his lips trailed light kisses along the curve of her shoulder. Sakura felt her stomach flip-flop as the nature of his touching changed, his trailing fingertips turning into enticing caresses over her exposed skin.

"So much. I'll tell you tonight, Sakura. I want…" She heard him swallow, take an uneven breath as he held her tightly to him. "… you. I want you to stay the night. With me."

Sakura's mouth went dry even as she felt her stomach clenching in response to his proposal.

"You mean stay in the same room?" she asked faintly, her voice a bit higher than she'd meant it to be; she couldn't help hearing a faint buzzing in her ears as she felt her knees threatening to knock together. Or give out completely. Was he really asking her what she thought he was?

Sasuke hesitated a moment before drawing back from her just far enough so he could look her in the eyes again, to make himself clear. She saw a hint of a smile on his lips before he looked away, down at her lips.

"I want to sleep with you, Sakura," he said, his voice husky, and he looked up at her eyes for her reaction. "… To go all the way…" he stated more confidently, if only by a small margin.

She couldn't breathe; her stomach had erupted into a thousand nervous butterflies, and she had no idea how to tame them. Anxiety and anticipation seeped through her, and for a second she wondered if he was just teasing her, continuing with the long-running joke they'd eventually developed since his mother's insane outing with him to gather 'the essentials'.

Her head spinning, Sakura tried to figure out if he was being serious. Her heart ached—they had discussed this, in the past, and both resolved to wait at least until they knew what they wanted—and now… now…

His breath smelled sweet, and he smelled like soap and the faint traces of his aftershave and just… of Sasuke. Her Sasuke. Her emotions were in a jumble as she tried to ground herself, but the warmth that was spreading through her was more than telling her she was ready, physically; but what about…

Taking her hand in his Sasuke gave her a gentle squeeze.

And after a length she squeezed back, meeting his eyes.

"Sasuke-," she breathed, only to feel the sweet press of his lips on hers, interrupting her.

"I love you," he whispered shakily, his words barely audible in the silent room.

* * *

There wasn't much left between them, as their bathing suits barely provided any form of barrier or protection.

"Sasuke," Sakura gasped even as she writhed on top of his bedding, her knees snugly wrapped around his waist as he ground against her; her eyes saw stars for a moment at the delicious friction before she swallowed and tried again, "Sasuke?"

"Mmh?"

"The… the… guests…" Sakura's back arched off the bed and she couldn't help when her nails dug rounded crescents into his naked shoulders.

"At the beach," he growled, barely pausing from his attentions at her throat, and he nipped her before running his tongue along the redness to soothe the sensitive skin again.

"Yes, that's what… I… yes… yes… Yes! _Yes! Yes! Oh god, yes_—I mean, wait, fuck…" she whined almost painfully, and physically scooted back up the bed away from her boyfriend. "Stay!" she panted, and failed when she attempted to glare at him. She took the opportunity to glance down at herself and realised the top of her bikini had drifted off, and her sari was crumpled beneath her. The panty portion of her bikini was still in place, but just barely.

For his part, Sasuke just huffed impatiently in his trunks, his only remaining clothing, barely straightening as he continued to eye her intently.

"This… This… is good. Really good," she admitted, her cheeks visibly pinking under his attention—and she didn't miss the conceited smirk that graced his handsome face at her words. Unfortunately she was too hot and bothered to snarl at him for being an overconfident ass, and resigned herself to putting up her hands when he stretched gracefully to close in on her again.

"Time!" she called desperately, putting her hands together to make a 't' in front of her while she caught her breath.

"Ok, we need to… slow down…" she said, and even to her ears it came out weak. "And stop giving me that look—I didn't say… stop… exactly… Er, well, for now we need to. Maybe. No, we do." She dropped her head in her hands and rubbed at her temples in frustration, growling under her breath.

Sasuke scoffed, unimpressed.

Picking her head up again, Sakura did glare at him that time.

"No, it's not… Look… ARGH. I am not… comfortable… doing this with all our friends within earshot. OKAY? I didn't say I didn't want to—but… a bit of privacy, maybe, please? I know for guys and girls, the first time is different, but for a girl, it can really… hurt," she finished meekly, and looked away from him for a second, embarrassed. And ashamed, even as she knew she had no reason to be. And very, very confused to top off the whole awkward shebang. "I'd really rather not have everyone know exactly what happened and when, all right? Please? Can we just… wait until the others have left, and then, talk when we have some time to ourselves… and then….?"

She bit her lip and looked up at Sasuke, realising then that he'd paused mid-motion and was regarding her thoughtfully, too.

Then he reached back and rubbed at the back of his head and neck, looking briefly down at the bedding where her hands were still keeping their death grip on the light comforter.

"Hn," he agreed quietly, and let out a long breath. "If that would make you more comfortable, we'll…" he swallowed, and tried to cover it up with a cough. "I didn't mean to push," he mumbled.

Some of Sakura's tension melted away as her heart warmed at his apology.

"Oh, Sasuke," she smiled, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you for being so wonderful," she whispered against his ear, heartfelt.

"Hn," he muttered, not hiding his disappointment very well at all.

"Oh for the love of pete," she mumbled, and rubbed his back in mock consolation. "It's only for a day or so…"

"Well it's left me pretty damn uncomfortable _now_," he groused, and shifted again.

Sakura's cheeks flared red-hot when he tugged at her elbow, then brought one of her hands down, slowly, to his lap to settle over the front of his trunks. The bulge they couldn't hide was hot and hard, and twitched when her fingers made contact.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and wasn't sure if it was polite to look down and stare or not. Did that make her a ho? Even if it was her boyfriend?... What were the rules on peeking at the person you were… going to be… Um….

But at her touch, Sasuke's muffled groan against her neck sent another thrill straight through Sakura's body to her groin, and she instinctively moved closer to him all over again before cursing under her breath. He'd taken her hand and guided her fingers firmly around his length, leading her in a smooth, pumping motion.

"I'm very supportive if you want to reconsider," he said huskily, moving his hot, wet mouth against her neck as she fell forward further, her heart rate speeding up all over again.

"No, we should just go meet everyone or we'll never get down there," she groaned unhappily.

"I'm fine with—."

"Yeah, well, Ino'll have my ass on a platter if I don't show up down there soon," Sakura snapped, very frustrated. _Stupid fucking hot fuckable boyfriend I want to… fuck, not helping!_

Reluctantly she pulled away, tracing his tip longingly as she bit her lip again and shimmied off the bed.

"I'll go down first, I'll meet you there in a few minutes," Sakura said, toeing on her flipflops again as she tied the cups of her bikini top back on and made sure she was presentable again. She didn't look back at Sasuke once she left the bed, afraid she'd give in and jump him for sure if she so much as glanced at his naked chest again.

"Hn."

"… I'll see you," she repeated, still refusing to look back at him even as she heard him step onto the carpet from the bed.

As she closed the door behind her, she heard the shower start up again, and Sasuke muttering curses at the cold water.

_Well, he's not the only one_, Sakura sighed unhappily to herself, very grateful for her sari which at least hid from view the ache that pulsed between her legs. (_It wasn't possible to see things like that on girls, right? No, she was sure it wasn't. Ino would have warned her if it was…)_

The rest of the 'party' would be leaving the morning after next, she remembered. She couldn't help the simultaneous anticipation and anxiety that thought sparked in her.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Nikolita, you asked for it...


	10. Chapter 10

"Detour on the way?"

Kisame nearly snarled at Itachi's soft question as the pair each carried a child over one shoulder down the halls of the main lodge of the beachhouse, towards the individual, independent beach cottages which were dotted picturesquely down the well-kept boardwalk.

"Like you couldn't have warned us that the main road was closed—first we ended up having to backtrack a good half-hour, and then had to take the local roads at in-town speeds for the remainder… I thought I was going to kill the brats after all their whining…"

"Your wife is well?"

"Don't change the subject, I'm still angry with you. But yes," conceded Kisame, "she's well and she's joining us tomorrow. She didn't want to have to drive on so little sleep, and her flight wasn't getting in until after we'd left. She says thank you very much for the invitation, and she hopes you enjoy the souvenir she's bringing you."

"I look forward to her visit."

"She's looking forward to getting away from the office, too, and seeing everyone. I understand we're sharing the place with your brother and his useless imbeciles for all of Saturday?" Kisame asked unhappily.

"They leave first thing Sunday morning. I will insist upon it."

"That's fine, then."

Itachi held open the door that led to the beach. "Until then, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mind keeping them in line."

"You mean you want me to scare them into behaving?"

"Yes."

Kisame laughed out loud, and his children stirred only faintly in their sleep at the familiar, reassuring sound.

"I can't wait."

Itachi's expression softened with amusement, and he nodded in thanks.

"Ah."

He unlocked the door to the largest cottage and ushered Kisame inside, helping him lay the children down in their bunk beds.

"You stay here, I'll get the rest of your luggage," said Itachi, and Kisame waved him off as he started pulling the covers up over his sleeping children, more tenderly than most would have ever considered him capable. But it was no secret to Itachi that Kisame was a huge family man. In fact, it was one of the things the Uchiha admired about his long-time friend.

"Thanks," said Kisame quietly, so as not to disturb his youngest as he pulled a ragged-looking teddy-bear out from under his oversized short-sleeve shirt and snuggled it into his son's arms.

"Hn."

"Are the others here yet?"

"They arrive tomorrow morning."

Even in the darkened cottage, Itachi could make out the sharp, white teeth that glinted in Kisame's broad grin.

"…Excellent."

* * *

The bonfire was blazing cheerfully when Sakura reached their friends, and the stars cast beautiful patterns on the deep velvet plains above as they twinkled overhead. She was raising her hand to greet them when she was steamrolled back behind a nearby dune.

Ino had snagged her elbow and yanked her indelicately beyond even the outskirts of the assembly before Sakura could even call out a greeting.

"Spill. Immediately."

Sakura made a show of sighing in disappointment, waving her friend away as she tried to side-step her. "You're getting predictable."

"Hah! Instant evasion but non-red eyes—something good just happened." Ino eyed her critically, up and down. Sakura crossed her arms over her chest defensively, cocked her hip and glared balefully at her best friend, waiting.

Ino's eyebrows arched over her glinting eyes, and then lowered knowingly. "Ahaaaaa…. So you came close, but didn't go all the way," she mused aloud. "Heh. I knew it. Naruto owes me a beer," she snorted under her breath.

"_Excuse. Me?!"_ Sakura's words had a hard time making it through her clenched teeth. "And how the hell could you tell!?" she exclaimed a breath later, throwing her hands in the air.

Caught, Ino considered her options; a grin followed moments later.

"Well, for one thing, you should know better than to come down after a make-out session with your hair tied back," the blonde said as she strode closer to Sakura, pulling her friend's long hair down from its ponytail and arranging it around her shoulders and neck. "You may also want to pull that hoodie a little closer to cover your front, darling," Ino advised, smugly. "Geez, it's like he was pissing on you like a territory marker with all these… who is he trying to impress?" she muttered. "Did you see this before you left the room? No, wait, never mind, the answer's obviously 'no' because you wouldn't have set foot outside the room if you'd see these all over you… Stupid boys…"

Sakura felt herself reddening under Ino's fussing, and tried to calm her embarrassment. It was probably a good thing Ino had hauled her away before she'd made a fool of herself in front of everyone.

"He left marks? Like… hickeys!?"

"Boy always acts with purpose, gotta give him that. If I didn't know you both better, I'd almost say it looked like he beat you."

"He would never-," Sakura began, but Ino just waved her defence aside, and they looked each other in the eye. They knew. "Thanks," she said, and Ino just smiled.

"Now," Ino straightened and looked her over again critically, before her gaze softened and she looked at Sakura in the eyes. "Is there anything you need to ask, or tell big-sis Ino?" she asked more meaningfully. "Is there… Do you have anything you need to know?... For fuck's sake, _one_ of you brought protection, right?" Ino finally demanded, a hand on her hip while she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Because no soul-sister friend of hers was getting knocked up like a common cat. Or catching cooties.

Sakura felt her heart lodge in her throat. She couldn't help it when she threw her arms around Ino.

"Love you, Pig."

Sniffing dramatically, Ino let her head fall backward and just hugged Sakura back, tightly. "My little girl's getting all grown up and banging a hottie for grad, I'm so proud…."

"Boyfriend. He's my boyfriend, Ino."

"Fucking hot boyfriend," continued Ino, sniffing sentimentally again.

A few minutes later, once Ino had deemed her 'indecently decent', they ambled back to the rest and joined in the party again and saw that Itachi had joined them, as had Sasuke. It seemed the two brothers were ignoring each other again; Sakura had noticed them randomly doing so over the past few months. She wasn't sure what it was about, and she didn't think it was the time to ask Itachi. But maybe sometime later that week? She and Sasuke were staying there for a few days once everyone else left, after all. Before, Sasuke told her it was nothing and to forget about it. It was just so strange, though… He always used to look up to (and admire, adore, and hero-worship) his older brother. Was it a family issue? Sakura wondered whether she should ask or not—if there was a real minefield between them, maybe she should let them sort it out? But she knew the Uchiha were proud, and stubborn to a glaring fault; if there was something going on between the brothers, even something minor, it would just fester and continue to do so unless someone else stepped between them and gave them a proverbial olive branch to share. Or beat them senseless with. Whatever worked.

It was strange though, Sakura mused to herself, that Itachi was here if he and Sasuke were 'ignoring' each other… Unless their parents had asked Itachi to chaperone again? Yes, she thought to herself, that was likely it. Hadn't one of them mentioned that earlier..?

Trying to remember what the arrangement was (because she needed something to distract her from just how tempting Sasuke looked with his hair still dripping from his shower and his open polo shirt giving her glimpses of his toned chest, and he'd apparently traded his swim trunks for khaki cut-offs, and damn that boy could rock the preppie look-), Sakura felt eyes on her and turned to look around, wondering if she'd missed someone calling her name. Embarrassed at her thoughts and glad no one could read them (because it really wasn't any of her business why Itachi was there, or what the argument was between him and Sasuke), she searched for whoever had been burning holes through her back. Because she knew someone had. Where was Naruto—hadn't Ino said something about a bet?

Her eyebrow arched suspiciously as she looked for her friend – sure enough, she found him cavorting with Ino in hushed, if expressive, whispers across the other side of the bonfire. Aaaaaand—yep, there was the exchange, she saw, as Naruto pulled out his well-worn froggy wallet, every inch the sore-loser as he apparently tried to argue something uselessly with Ino, who just waited with her hand outstretched and her hip cocked smugly.

When he glanced at Sakura sheepishly, she shook her head at him in disappointment. Of course, he retaliated by pointing vigorously at Sasuke like it was the Uchiha's fault, as if to say, _"I thought it was a slam-dunk—who'd bet against an Uchiha in the field of taking a girl's virginity?!"_

"Not tonight," she said aloud, so he could clearly understand and wouldn't get any crazy ideas of trying to make certain things happen in order to win his money back from Ino. That would be all they'd need, and going by the crates of booze piled in the ice-filled pit they'd dug in the nearby sand, they needed to put a lid on as many potential outlets for 'crazy' that night as they could.

"Tomorrow?" he called across the fire, his face alight and eyes hopeful. Beside him, Ino just scoffed.

"None of your business!" she called, and couldn't help laughing now as Naruto turned crestfallen. Thank the gods she'd walked away from Sasuke just a bit over an hour ago—though it had been difficult. Otherwise the rest of them would have been lined up outside Sasuke's room with cups against the door! Sakura felt herself fighting a blush at the idea. _Geez…_

"A private conversation isn't usually yelled across a bonfire party," remarked a deep, sensuous voice from behind her, startling Sakura. She spun around to face the person who'd spoken to her, only to see-

"I'm sorry," Itachi said, raising a hand and offering her a bottle of water. "I only came to see if you needed anything. I'm heading back to the main lodge to pick up a few things, and saw you hadn't had anything to eat or drink. Would you like anything non-red meat or non-alcoholic?" he asked, his eyes expressing a hint of exactly what he thought of those options. It was then that Sakura noticed the hotdogs and burgers were mostly gone, and she really hadn't eaten that much earlier when she'd been so upset—and of course, her stomach rumbled on cue at the mention of food. Sakura tried, and failed to keep a straight face when she caught the amusement shining in Itachi's eyes.

"If you're bringing back some fruit for everyone else, I'd love some," she said as maturely as she could—before her stomach groaned again, louder. "And maybe a sandwich?"

Now she was certain she'd seen his mouth quirk up at the edges, and turned away from Itachi to hide her scowl.

"Would you like to come see what we have? We picked up watermelon and pomelo…"

Composing herself again, Sakura perked at hearing that. "Pomelo?"

"Ah."

"I may be able to help relieve the burden that such a large fruit poses. They take up way too much countertop space," offered Sakura graciously, and Itachi's eyes shone with subtle laughter.

"This way."

And as she left the protective light of the bonfire, Sakura completely forgot about the odd sense of being watched just moments prior.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Thank you, nikolita, for the wonderful beta help! (All errors are of course my own.)


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura and Itachi worked side-by-side to assemble a platter of sliced fruit and other sundries, and after a few minutes the pink-haired young woman glanced up to see that her companion was smiling a bit to himself as he tipped a slew of cored strawberries into a large plastic bowl.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, curious.

"Hm? Nothing much," he said quietly, and turned back to his cutting board. Sakura continued pulling chunks of thick peel from the second round, citrus fruit she was skinning.

"You were smiling, just curious," she answered, and, peel removed from the fruit, set about separating the segments of the pomelo so she could tear off the tough inner membrane from the segments.

"Ah, just relieved to see you are feeling better, then. You were upset earlier. It seems you and Sasuke resolved your differences, then?"

Sakura's hands stilled a moment as she swallowed, and she felt her throat constrict slightly.

"We're talking things over," she said, unsure of how much she could or should reveal to Itachi when she didn't know what specifically was going on between he and his brother. "Thank you for letting me sit with you in the car on the ride up. Sorry for crying, drooling, and sleeping on you," she tried to joke. "I'll try not to make such a mess on you again. It was a difficult afternoon…"

"You never bother me, Sakura. You may lean on me at any time, and it is never an imposition," he answered softly, and looked at her for a heartbeat. And then a bit longer**. **Sakura felt herself warming slightly under his focused gaze, before he glanced away**, **looking down at the knife in his hands again.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said softly, and looked down at the two halves of pomelo she'd pulled apart and left on the counter in front of her.

He made a neutral sound from deep in his throat, and Sakura looked over at him again curiously**.**

Well, they were alone…

"Itachi?"

"Hm?"

"… I know it's none of my business, and you don't need to answer if you don't want… but… what's going on between you and Sasuke? Are you two okay? You've both seemed kind of distant with each other, these past few months, and… just… I know you always looked out for him, and he's always adored you, and it's just… Did something happen?" she finished a bit lamely, her brow furrowed in concern. "Is there something, anything, I can do?"

The smooth, even chopping and slicing Itachi had been doing—automatically, precisely—slowed a fraction before picking up again, but Sakura noticed the change.

"Sasuke and I are fine, you don't need to concern yourself with our relationship, Sakura," he said,looking over at her andgiving her a soft smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Are you upset that he's going away, too?"

Itachi's back and shoulders stiffened slightly and Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously.

"No. I had suspected he would leave, some time ago. Sasuke is very ambitious."

Now it was Sakura's turn to straighten and look at him more closely. "You knew?" she whispered.

"I suspected," he repeated levelly.

Her pomelo forgotten, Sakura turned her whole body to face Itachi as he continued his work on the strawberries.

"You never mentioned anything."

He continued chopping, robotically. "I assumed the two of you had spoken," he admitted quietly. "And when I realised that you hadn't, it was not my place to… step in. I did briefly… mention in passing… to Sasuke that he may want to discuss his decision with those around him, if only to consider all possibilities."

Sakura wasn't sure whether to thank Itachi for looking out for her and Sasuke, or hit him for not even hinting to her what Sasuke's plans had been.

"What would you do?" she asked after she'd considered things a bit longer.

"Hm?"

Sakura watched him for any reaction. "What would you do if you knew there was going to be a time when you and the person you cared most about—supposedly—were going to be apart? Would you deepen the relationship, or would you regret it, do you think? Would you ever walk away from that person?"

Itachi's broad shoulders stilled under his t-shirt, and Sakura waited as he gently put down his knife, and scooped the rest of the strawberries into the now-full bowl. He rinsed off the knife and cutting board before placing them on the drying rack, and finally turned to look at her, appraising her body language.

She tried not to fidget.

Then he reached behind him, half-turning away from her, and flipped on the kettle.

"Tea?" he asked, and gratefully Sakura nodded, smiling a bit in relief.

He nodded, and Sakura finished her pomelo-peeling as he collected tea, cups, and all the usual things they both enjoyed—including extra milk and sugar, she noted happily.

* * *

When they'd cleared the fruit out of the way and wiped down the counters, Sakura hopped up onto the nearest one, holding her cup in both her hands and inhaling the soothing steam.

"So?" she asked, her eyes on Itachi as he settled himself against the counter beside her.

"Hm?" he asked, and Sakura almost rolled her eyes.

"The question. What would you do?"

"I am not my brother."

"Hadn't noticed."

He shot her a look, and she grinned back at him.

After a bit more consideration, he looked down into his cup. "It would depend on many things. My age; if I had someone else in my life," he eyed her a moment, "And her age. It would depend on our positions. If we were in a position to maintain the same relationship over the distance; if it would be temporary or permanent; the duration… Would there be anything, or anyone, who would affect our decisions or feelings towards the relationship, during the time apart. I don't know if I would or wouldn't**.** Why would I rush to deepen it, only to feel uncertain if I wondered about the other person and them possibly no longer having the same feelings – I would have given away something very important with nothing to show for it if the relationship failed."

Sakura felt some of the blood drain from her face at how seriously he had considered her question, and still she managed to blush at what he was implying she, and Sasuke, would be giving up.

"What about if you were in my position?" she asked, more boldly.

He looked her in the eyes, then, and her breath caught at how dark and shining his gaze was, almost glittering in the subdued lighting of the large kitchen; theirs was the only section that was illuminated, as the rest they'd left dark after clearing away the fruit.

"No," he said softly, and Sakura felt her throat go dry at the deep, velvety sound. "I wouldn't do it now. I would work to become a better man. I would wait, and that would be my goal, so we could both look forward to it when the time came."

Swallowing several times, Sakura maintained Itachi's intense gaze as she forged ahead with her questions.

"If you were a guy, and you didn't… with her… because you were going away, or she was going away; would you wait for her? Would you not sleep with anyone else? While you waited?" she asked, very quietly, and felt her heart ache that she had voiced one of her biggest fears; something she hadn't even been able to say to Sasuke, her boyfriend. Warmth rose to her cheeks and eyes, and she swallowed thickly.

Unwilling to examine why she'd been able to ask Itachi, but not Sasuke, Sakura leaned forward slightly for his answer.

His grip on his cup was tight, so instead Itachi set it down on the counter as he turned to face Sakura; the warmth from his body radiated towards her, and she felt a small shiver down her spine as he reached for her arm and squeezed—or was it a caress—ever so tenderly as he looked down into her eyes.

"I would wait," he said softly, the warmth of his fingers seeping through her whole body slowly, languorously and for some reason, to Sakura the words sounded like a vow. "For you."

Her heart beat a step faster as they continued to look into each other's eyes; and Sakura could feel a strange tightening in her stomach, and realised her breathing was a bit shallower, and just a bit faster. She also noticedthat Itachi's eyes were darkening the longer they held hers.

Her heart skipped a beat then as he moved closer, his warmth enveloping her as he lifted his other hand up to push a lock of her loosened hair behind her ear**. **Itachi's thumb brushed her cheek, and his gaze fellto her lips when she opened her mouth slightly.

"Itachi?" she tried to speak, but her voice was gone and it came out on an uncertain breath when he leaned down towards her, his hand still threaded through her hair, gently tilting her head towards him—

"Sakura? Are you still here?"

Sakura's eyes flew open—when had she closed them?—when she heard Naruto calling for her, and her heart beat fast enough to bash against her ribs as she thought she might just be sick with fear. Itachi's breath had ghosted across her lips, he'd been so close.

Horror and uncertainty flooded her as she locked eyes with Itachi, but he was already slipping away from her and taking his warmth with him just in time for Naruto to stroll into the kitchen, concern written clear across his deeply tanned brow.

"There you are!" he called out happily, his wide grin nearly splitting his face. "Man, Sasuke and I were wondering what was taking so long! Oh wow, you and Itachi were busy!"

Sakura nearly panicked until Naruto jogged over to the massive platters of fruit. "Do you need a hand with these?"

Wilting in relief, Sakura let out a low sigh under her breath before nodding, and smiling at Naruto.

"Yeah, would you mind?"

"Happy to help!" He said, turning his back to her as he reached to grab the biggest platter.

"Thanks," she smiled back, and slid from the counter to the floor again—noticing immediately when Itachi shifted slightly to be just close enough for her to rub against his body as she did. Her stomach flip-flopped at the contact, and she swallowed as she felt his warm hand against the small of her back, steadying her when her knees wobbled a bit as her feet touched ground.

"Thanks," she said absently, even as she mentally steeled her resolve.

Food. Right. She'd come up to the main lodge with Itachi to get something to eat; and then she found herself glancing at the clock and nearly staggering—how long had they been away? Had it really been over an hour? No wonder they'd sent out the cavalry to find her…

As she followed Naruto back down to the beach with another two platters, and Itachi brought up the rear with the cases of drinks and more ice, Sakura wondered if she had somehow, somewhere along the way, bitten off more than she could chew.

* * *

Starting that very afternoon, Naruto had been watching Itachi out of the corner of his eye whenever the older Uchiha was around Sakura.

Sasuke hadn't said anything outright, but the blond youth was suspicious of his friend's older brother. Naruto wasn't as unaware as most assumed of him; rather it was actually one of his greatest strengths, making others underestimate him. He'd learned it from Ino, and he was beginning to believe the other blonde when she'd said she thought something was going on at the Uchiha household that involved Sakura.

Naruto had noticed Itachi had started coming home to the Uchiha family home more often since that night Sakura had stayed with them; Sasuke had been more and more tense since then, and had remarked on his brother being around a lot more. Naruto had started wondering why Itachi would suddenly change his routine—because he was a man of routine, the blond was sure of it. Uchihas loved order, organization and predictability.

Naruto had also seen Itachi keeping an eye on Sakura earlier that afternoon, nevermind the older Uchiha's clandestine behaviour during their group's drive, plus how he'd been following her with his eyes when she rejoined everyone at the bonfire that night…

So when he'd invited Sakura to the main lodge, and drawn her away from her friends, away from Sasuke, Naruto hadn't been surprised.

But he'd nearly stormed the kitchen when he'd heard the low voices, and Sakura's tearful words asking him what he'd do, if he'd wait, presumably for her.

Naruto had thrummed with anger when he'd heard Itachi's reply.

He'd always thought Sasuke's brother was a stand-up guy; the most perfect an Uchiha could be—and that was saying something. It had taken a lot not to storm in and punch him when he'd peeked around the corner and seen Itachi leaning forward and pulling Sakura towards him.

_Jerk. Asshole. Dirty-player,_ Naruto cursed the older Uchiha viciously in his mind.

But what really got to Naruto was that everyone could see Sakura was upset; they knew it, and they were supportive while still giving her space to make her own decision. But that was between her and Sasuke to sort out. He couldn't believe Itachi was preying on her vulnerability!

_That… That…_

But this wasn't his fight.

Naruto exhaled loudly as he pulled up his zipper and went to wash his hands at the sink. He'd needed a moment to think, and he was getting his game plan together. Making a loud, crass comment at the fire that he needed to have a 'private moment' with the nearest throne had guaranteed he'd be undisturbed, and he was far more sure of things now than he had been.

But would Sasuke believe him if he were to tell him?

Brow furrowed, Naruto considered and reluctantly rejected the idea. Sasuke would need proof. He might suspect his brother, but without proof he'd be unwilling to let go of that last bit of adulation he held for Itachi. Hell, Naruto wouldn't have believed it either, if he hadn't seen it for himself.

Thankfully Sasuke had gone straight to Sakura's side when she came back to the beach, Naruto reminded himself. And knowing the Bastard**, **as Naruto mentally resolved to start calling Itachi, too, he'll stick to her for the rest of the night.

Naruto nodded to himself , Sasuke could be jealous and possessive—and would no doubt get on Sakura's nerves if he was overly so—but he did care for her, Naruto reasoned. In fact, he was sure that Sasuke truly loved Sakura—love, the big love. The permanent kind. The Bastard just had to make sure he didn't go overboard and drive Sakura away with all his selfish emo bullshit and attempts to get into her pants with his needy need for acknowledgement and reassurance from her. For such a confident guy, Sasuke really needed to trust Sakura more, Naruto thought—but then pulled up short. Or perhaps the seed was already planted in Sasuke's mind, and that was already preying on Sasuke's confidence…

Because Naruto was just a bit concerned that where the whole sex-thing was concerned, Itachi did have Sasuke beat when it came to maturity and big-boy points.

Hmm-ing lowly in discontent, Naruto reviewed the situation one last time as he looked at himself in the mirror.

Yep. He needed to bring in the big guns.

So when he made it back to the glow of the bonfire, he strolled over to the one person who could solve his problems, rule the world, and inspire fear and reverence in the heart of mankind everywhere.

And possibly neuter him with a pair of car keys.

Ino spat her beer over the sandy beach when Naruto slapped her heartily on the back**, **waggled his eyebrows suggestively,and called out, "So, partner, ready for round two of 'Operation Shagalicious'?"

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Apologies for the delay, and many thanks to nikolita for the beta! Next chapter will be posted within approximately 24 hours.


	12. Chapter 12

Sakura caught sight of Ino and Naruto cavorting together on the outskirts of the fire and gave a mental groan of disbelief. The nearby music was too loud for her to pick up any hint of their conversation, and Naruto's pleading expression and Ino's intense contemplation weren't exactly reassuring.

_Did those two never stop trying to one-up each other? Geez, it was almost as bad as the competition Naruto and Sasuke had going on, sometimes…_

Really, as mature as Ino seemed sometimes, when she and Naruto got together all that 'growing-up' business Ino had gone on and on about just seemed to collapse in a heap of mangled, apocalyptic rubble. With lots and lots of fallout.

Shaking her head and smiling in spite of herself when she saw the _Blond Wonder Team_ (which she knew Sasuke had secretly re-named the _Blunder Twins_, when it came to those two and their schemes) glancing around furtively and walking further away from the rest of their group, Sakura just sighed and sent a small prayer that they would limit the damage. They were at Sasuke's family's beach home; they wouldn't dare try anything too drastic, she hoped. Though they had looked kind of upset about something, then serious, as they'd walked away.

Feeling a slight frown puckering her brow, Sakura considered following them after a few minutes when they didn't return right away. They didn't usually plot this long. Oh dear gods, they hadn't brought fireworks, had they? No, this was bad, too many people had been drinking—or, what if someone was sick from alcohol poisoning already?

She started pulling away to investigate—had someone gotten hurt?—when she felt Sasuke's hold tighten around her waist slightly. Her arms fell to her side, and automatically she rested her right arm overtop of Sasuke's as it encircled her, warming her.

"I'm worried about the Wonder Team," she said, her voice pitched low so the others wouldn't hear her.

"Hn," he agreed, and Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"No, I mean I think something's wrong—no, really this time," she said when Sasuke gave her a knowing smirk for a second, until he caught the tightening around her mouth and eyes. "Naruto actually looked serious about something, and it's weird that he went to Ino instead of to you. I thought you were his usual wing-man."

His fingers traced a small, thoughtful pattern just beneath the hem of her shirt, and then he twined their fingers together as he looked in the direction she'd started to head in.

They turned back towards each other at the same time. Then their gazes met, and that special communication they'd always had floated to the surface as they considered the situation.

"Benefit of the doubt, for now," he said after a few minutes, something further hinted at behind his dark eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. "But we'll need to keep an eye on them for the rest of the time they're here. We don't need things getting out of hand."

"We can't watch them twenty-four seven," she pointed out, and already felt herself growing more tired just imagining the logistics of trying to put GPS tags on the unpredictable Blunder Twins. She actually looked over to the pit of iced-down booze with intent for the first time that evening before feeling Sasuke's hands grip her hip a bit more snugly again. If she hadn't sworn herself off drinking when she was around Sasuke…

She felt Sasuke tap her tummy lightly with his fingertips to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"Are you planning on drinking?" he asked softly, regarding her levelly.

"The Wonder Team makes me more inclined to indulge," she replied dryly.

"Hn," he said sympathetically, and looked down at the bottle in his hands. He had by no means drunk excessively—and Sakura realised then that he really hadn't had much to drink at all that day. She was quite sure that was still the same beer he'd been nursing all evening.

"Everything okay?" she asked, turning in his arms to look at him more closely.

"Hn."

She glanced down at his hand meaningfully.

He avoided her gaze after a moment, looking away towards the waves as he breathed in and out slowly, then turned back to her again; his hands remained on her waist, and he pulled her a bit closer so he could lean against her, his lips murmuring against her ear. To anyone else, it looked like they were necking, but it was the perfect way to speak without having others overhear the truth.

"Mostly in case anything happened, I could handle it-so I wouldn't need to bug Itachi… but also, with us sharing a room, I didn't…" His words paused as he swallowed, and he rested his head against hers before he straightened his shoulders, lifted his head slightly, his confidence renewed. "You asked me to wait. I didn't want to do anything stupid. With you. _To_ you," he admitted a bit uncomfortably in a murmur.

Sakura felt her mouth go dry.

They'd just celebrated their graduation at the top of their class, were making plans to deepen their relationship, had the perfect night with wonderful friends on the most beautiful beach, had a responsible chaperone to take care of any major catastrophes, should they occur—really, who could ask for a better setting to kick back and maybe let loose—

And he was holding back, for her.

"Sasuke," she breathed when she managed to find her voice again, just to hear him growl under his breath at her and pull her even closer to him, until their fronts were pressed tightly together. He was doing this for her—sure, for their friends' safety, too, but ultimately so that he wouldn't risk hurting her when they were alone…

Her lips met his and he pulled his head back just enough to breath, leaving the kiss chaste, for now.

"Not here," he whispered, and she heard the slightly tremble to his deep voice, and it pulled at something primal deep inside her.

Her arms rose to wrap around his neck, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

Sasuke Uchiha—spoiled, selfish, amazing, wonderful, rich, intelligent, overconfident bastard and prodigy—was holding back, for her.

"I can sleep in a different room tonight," Sakura said, feeling a bit guilty he couldn't party the way everyone else was—it seemed everyone was celebrating the best night of their young lives by trying to obliterate any potential memory of it, going by the overloaded plastic bins of empty bottles that were destined for the recycling center post-weekend-blitz. "That way you can still enjoy yourself. I don't mind."

He shook his head slightly, and leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes dark and shining. And then a small smile curled at the corners of his lips, an honest smile that for once wasn't his cocky smirk.

"No," his voice was gruff, but there was a hint of cheek to his tone. "My room. Tonight, and every night we're here. I want to fall asleep listening to you breathing beside me, and wake up with you in my arms. Nothing is getting in the way of that," he said determinedly, and it made Sakura grin.

And blush.

He smirked as he saw the crimson spreading across her cheeks.

She ducked her head and felt the low rumbles of his laughter against her cheek, and gave a light tug on the short hairs at the back of his neck that did nothing to make him feel repentant.

The music on the nearby stereo changed to a slower song, and Sasuke shifted his hands on Sakura's hips to guide them into swaying gently to the beat, following with her as their bodies were molded against each other.

Smiling, Sakura was happy to relax into him, joining him in their own private slow dance.

Sure, they still needed to talk a few things over… but her decision…

Eyes closed and a soft smile upon her lips, Sakura enjoyed the moment as her heart warmed her chest. She felt so very lucky: the scene of Sasuke and sand and the nearby waves crashing on the shore, and the promise of something very special waiting for her just around the corner.

When the first hints of dawn coloured the sky white-gold, then orangey-pink, Sakura was settled on the beach with her knees drawn up to her chest, and her back resting against Sasuke's front. As a group they watched the sun rise over the water, before slowly making their way to their rooms in the main lodge when the sun crossed the horizon point.

She refused to acknowledge the tiny wiggle of unease that wormed its way down through her belly when she blinked and noticed Itachi catching her held it for a heartbeat before he diverted his attention again as they climbed the boardwalk.

Sasuke never let her go the entire time they stumbled to his room, until she went to shower; when he returned from his, they curled up together on his bed, drew the blankets up snug and slept past noon.

* * *

At what had to be the seventeenth obvious knock on their door—or walls, or floor, or something, he wasn't sure—Sasuke grumpily opened his eyes and glared at the door, very relieved he'd thought to lock it the night before. Did no one read the DND sign he'd thoughtfully hung on the doorknob? Fuckers.

He raised his head to scowl at whoever was behind the door, but a faint sound beside him ensured he moved no further to leave the bed.

The surliness was immediately wiped from his mind when he felt the warm, feminine arm constrict a bit around his middle and a soft body cuddle closer, mumbling about needing another five minutes.

His expression softened when he turned slightly to find a silky mass of pink hair, tangled in elf-locks around the face of one Haruno Sakura, her mouth slightly open but her eyes still firmly shut. Her fingers were still looselyholding his shirt, and he studied their shape for a little while before settling back down against his pillow. His heart fluttered in his chest for a moment when she groped and stirred, but finally settled again, content to keep sleeping a bit longer. He let out a quiet breath of relief, and felt an honest smile pulling at his lips, and in the privacy of that small moment together, he let it grow and warm every part of him.

His large hand covered hers protectively as he let his eyes roam over her face, studying and memorizing the crescents her petal lashes made against her cheeks, the curve of her cheeks, the dip beneath her bottom lip that led to her graceful jaw and adorable chin…

He wanted to reach out with his hand and slowly, thoroughly trace the line down from her chin to her bare shoulder, but he refused to wake her. She'd wonder what had gotten into him to find him watching her so attentively. (Not that he thought there was anything wrong with simply basking in her presence, but she seemed to find it strange that he enjoyed just… taking her in.)

So he quietly watched Sakura sleep, not bothered at all by the light which had started filling the room, or the sounds of the rest of their friends waking up and trudging (or stumbling) down the halls further away.

She'd fallen asleep alongside him and he'd woken in her arms.

_Finally_, he thought to himself with no small amount of accomplishment. He'd missed this, since that night months ago.

For a long moment he breathed her in, still smelling the hints of soap and shampoo from the night before, and relaxed.

There was no rush.

Even if his raging hard-on had other ideas, he was plenty in control, he decided.

Sure, plenty in control, he felt, but shifted minutely to make himself more comfortable.

_Iamnotoglingherboobs, Iamnotoglingherboobs, Iamnotoglingherboobs …_

* * *

"So, here's the plan," Naruto perched on the edge of the sofa and leaned closer to Ino, both of them keeping their eyes glued to the doorway to alert them to possible interference.

"Itachi's friend Kisame is here with his kids."

"Confirmed," Ino's blue eyes sharpened with acknowledgement.

"Kids are the best at these kinds of assignments, because they always notice things that grown-ups miss; because grown-ups always talk more than they should around kids, thinking they don't understand."

"You know this through experience, I take it?"

"Absolutely!" he grinned widely, and Ino reluctantly gave him a point for being right.

"Ok, so we have the kids watching. Who, specifically?"

"There were at least four of them… Maybe divide them up into teams, and have half of them watch Sasuke & Sakura, and the other ones watch Itachi? Just take notes about what they do, who they look at, all day?"

"They're going to get bored of that real quick," argued Ino.

"Not if we tell them it is their Super Secret Spy Mission—and that whoever has the most notes at the end of the day wins!"

Ino mulled his suggestion over thoroughly. Adding the competitive component would hopefully keep their spies sharp, but as much as kids noticed, she wasn't sure they would catch the subtle signs of innuendo and intent… Plus, there was always the very obvious concern that Kids Talk. They talk amongst themselves, they talk to their parents, they were terrible at lying (to anyone with a keen eye, and Ino considered herself quite adept at navigating veiled truths and half-truths and outright lies). Who was to say the kids wouldn't immediately implicate Ino and Naruto in the fallout, should the plan fail or implode at some point?

"It's risky, using kids for this," she muttered, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms as she considered it again. Not the risk of corrupting the kids—no, she was more concerned with being caught. Ino was a woman who knew her priorities, and adhered to strict cost-benefit analysis principles of gain vs potential loss.

"Not if we're not the ones who suggest foisting the kids on us for the day," leered Naruto, and Ino rolled her eyes and shoved him away from her as she continued to frown slightly in consternation.

But when he continued to grin excitedly, her stomach fell into her shoes and a deep, gut-clenching sense of foreboding settled in its place.

Her eyes narrowed sharply and she grabbed at the collar of Naruto's shirt with her perfectly manicured hand, yanking his face to within an inch of hers.

"Talk now, and explain just how badly you've fucked this up already, Naruto," she growled, and even his hesitant gulping didn't mollify her.

"Er, uh… this morning, I may have… done something…" His voice rose a bit higher as her grip constricted. "Um, Ino, we're in this together, right? Ino?"

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Thank you for beta'ing for me, nikolita! (All mistakes remain my own.) Hopefully the next update will be this weekend.


	13. Chapter 13

Sakura walked out of the bathroom wrapped in her light silk robe (a gift from Sasuke for her birthday—that they obviously had not opened around the rest of their friends at her party) to find her boyfriend sitting back on the bed against the headboard looking pensive.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, towelling off her hair.

"You're not helping me with my resolution to wait until everyone else is gone," he mumbled, glancing at her meaningfully. "Hn."

"I meant about Ino and Naruto."

"Hn." His tone turned dark and pained, but he didn't offer anything further.

_Lord, give me strength._ Sakura scowled as she fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"You met Naruto earlier, right? What did he say?" She shook Sasuke's knee, and he looked at her with a frown.

"I'm not a mind-reader, Sasuke. You need to tell me what's going on. Did Naruto do something already?"

At this Sasuke groaned faintly, and Sakura settled beside him, nudging his legs out of her way so she could look at him face to face.

"What happened?"

Sasuke leaned his head back until it banged lightly against the headboard, and winced—but Sakura had a feeling it was in memory, not in pain.

"Apparently Kisame caught Naruto trying to teach his kids how to prank him this morning. It wasn't even breakfast yet."

Sakura let out a frustrated huff of sympathy.

"How bad was it?"

"They don't think there's any permanent damage, but Itachi's called in a few friends to come check it out. Apparently they're coming later today. Naruto doesn't know that, though—Kisame threw a fit and it took Itachi running interference to calm him down. Apparently Kisame's wife's pretty particular about their vehicles." Sasuke let out a long, low breath. "But now I'm not sure how to apologise to Kisame. He came out to hang out with Itachi and relax with his kids—and now Naruto's got him all strung out. Kisame can be a jerk, but most of the time he's actually a lot more laid back than people realise. He's one of Itachi's closest friends. He was actually doing Itachi a favour, coming out here this weekend."

He brought a hand up to rest over his eyes, and massaged his temples; it made Sakura smile, as she recognized the familiar gesture from Itachi's repertoire of Signs I'm Stressed by Idiots. She wondered if Sasuke was aware he did it.

"You feel bad," she acknowledged and squeezed his knee, giving him a small smile.

Sasuke blew out his breath more harshly than he meant to, but didn't uncover his eyes.

"Honestly, I know Naruto can be irresponsible, but I would have expected something like this last night, when he'd had a few, not this morning… This was just stupid."

"Okay, how about this?" Sakura said, leaning against his folded-up knee. "We offer to watch his kids so he can relax? And we'll get Naruto to help, to make sure he stays in line. I could probably wrangle Ino, too?" She let her hand drag slowly down the top of his leg until it rested upon his upper thigh, and she ran her fingers along his inseam a moment to get his attention. It worked very quickly, she noticed with an inward grin, if his physical reaction was anything to go by. She continued until she felt his body tensing beneath her trailing fingers.

"Stop that," he mumbled his voice a bit lower than usual, but removed his hand from his face after another moment or two.

She bit her lower lip to keep from grinning, and gave him a game look.

"His kids are old enough to do a scavenger hunt, right?"

"We are NOT organizing a scunt for Kisame's kids. They're devil-spawn."

"Well, we all brought cameras—how about a photo-scunt? They take pictures of the things on the list. It'll keep them busy all day, and give Kisame some time to cool off. He'd probably be grateful." She started drawing small designs on the inside of his thigh again, creeping higher until he grabbed her wrist and gave her a strained look.

She just grinned right back, knowing she was winning.

"Come on—it'll take us twenty minutes to draft a list. We'll give a few special items some special point value or something, and then unleash it on the kids. Kisame's free for the day, we divide & conquer our friends so they don't destroy your house, and we keep Naruto under observation so he can't bugger anything else."

"Stop trying to make me feel better," he grumbled.

"No, it's working. And it will help distract the two of us, too," she added, blushing and glancing away for a second.

From Sasuke's warm lap, Sakura felt his grip on her wrist tighten a moment before he released his hold on her. Taking her palm in his, Sasuke wove their fingers together and gave her a squeeze back.

"Get changed," he said, meeting her eye with a resigned expression. "I'll get a pen & paper."

She smiled warmly at him and nodded, and made to get up.

He held her hand an extra moment, until she looked back at him questioningly.

"The robe," he said.

She arched her brow at him.

"… Could… could you wear it tomorrow?" Sasuke asked, his voice husky.

Sakura felt her throat going dry before she nodded at him and swallowed at the hungry look in his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when he stroked the pulse at her wrist slowly in promise.

"Yes," she replied quietly.

"Hn," he swallowed in turn, and let her go reluctantly when she smiled hesitantly at him, at what they both… meant. Anxiety, nerves, excitement, anticipation.

His gaze burned into her back as she collected her clothes and scampered back to the bathroom to change.

It was going to be a long day, she mused, forcing herself to breathe normally when she closed the bathroom door behind her, if they kept teasing each other like that.

* * *

The children looked up from one pair of smiling faces (Ino's, Naruto's—Naruto was giving them the most anti-subtle thumbs-up they'd ever seen), to the other group of smiling faces (Sakura's,-well, the guy beside her wasn't smiling, but he was always there beside her and he'd bailed them all out of trouble that morning, so he couldn't be all bad. They could never remember his name, but he was related to Uncle Itachi. So they named him Not-Quite-Uncle-Itachi).

This was the strangest 'family getaway' weekend they'd had in some time.

Uncle Itachi had warned them about that, though… Maybe he was right when he said he was the only reliable person in the world? Especially after all the strange 'advice' they'd received that morning.

_Naruto's orders: Spy on Sakura and Itachi! I promise a big surprise at the end of the day to the one with the best intel!_

_Sasuke's orders: Tell me everything Naruto and Ino do. If it looks like trouble, abandon them and come get me. Or my brother's never babysitting you again._

_Sakura's orders: Have fun! I hope you like this game—I can't wait to see your pictures!_

_Ino's orders: Don't get caught, and don't squeal. That's it. If you do, I will deny any and all knowledge of this. Now make sure you get clear pictures, and put back anything you move._

The pretty woman with the pink hair passed them their lists, clip-boards, pens, and cameras. "Do you have any questions before you set off?"

The children glanced back at Naruto and Ino—noting the faint stiffening of the dark-haired man at Sakura's side when they did so—and Naruto gave them another big thumbs up, even when the pretty blond lady, Ino, elbowed him sharply in the ribs and gave them a fake smile.

"We're good," the oldest said simply.

Sakura beamed at them and they split off into their groups…

* * *

**First item: Zee goggles, zay do nothing! – 0 Points.**

"All right! Swim goggles!" hooted Naruto, dragging his teamster towards the equipment shed by the beach. "We'll be the first ones to get that one!" He snickered under his breath. "And the only ones, once I'm done in there…"

"But the points say-," started his charge, only to have Naruto slap him heartily on the back, nearly sending the young boy careening forward.

"Shhhh! Come on, before they try to get there first!"

* * *

**Second item: I'm surrounded by idiots – 10 Points**

"That's a pretty common expression," said the youngster, looking up questioningly at his Scunt Guide.

"Oh?" Ino asked, already walking towards the bedrooms of the Main Lodge. She glanced about casually. "I thought it was from The Lion King?" She'd intended to snap a quick picture of the case of the movie, if they could find it.

But her little one's next words stopped her nearly dead.

"Yes, Uncle Itachi says it all the time."

A small smile slowly spread across Ino's lips.

"Really?... Well, let's go see if he's in his room so we can ask him… You have that camera ready, right?..."

* * *

**Third item: Art from the Heart! – 100 Points**

The youngest looked up adoringly at Sasuke as the young man stoically held still.

A muscle in his cheek jumped when he caught sight of some of their friends pointing and laughing at him through the wide picture window that led to the beach, but he focused his breathing and tried not to picture things that would distract him too much from the most important matter at hand.

"This is going to be the best picture ever!" the young one insisted, and with his sticky palm he rearranged Sasuke's face critically until the light hit it just right. "Okay, now hold still! I'm going to draw this one in purple marker, with lots of extra orange for your teeth!"

* * *

**Fourth item: Shake your Groove Thang – 15 Points**

Kisame's oldest child looked at the list critically before returning his gaze to Sakura.

"Are you implying I should get a picture of someone dancing, or find a 70's disco album?"

Sakura grinned at him knowingly. "Think of who will be judging the contest—Itachi and your dad. What would they like to see? How would they give you more points?"

Naruto's words floated back to the youngster's memory, and he watched Sakura a moment thoughtfully.

"I'll think about it—what's next on the list?" he asked after a short while, and they reviewed the next item.

* * *

**Seventeenth item: The Word of God – 20 Points**

"I'm telling you, that's obviously the Bible!" Naruto's brow furrowed. "Even I know that one."

The child shook his head. "No, not if Daddy and Uncle Itachi are judging. They're godless heathens. Uncle Hidan told me."

"Well, then what do you consider the word of god?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively, completely ignoring how immature it was to argue with a child.

He looked up at him for a moment, considering. Moments later, he raced towards his family's little cottage with Naruto in hot pursuit.

"Come on! I think we have a note Mommy wrote to Daddy before we left the house!"

* * *

**Twenty-fourth item: Communication – 15 Points**

"Auntie Ino?"

"That's Big-Sis Ino, not Auntie Ino."

"Right. Big-Sis Ino, isn't it wrong to look through Uncle Itachi's text archives on his phone without his permission?"

"It's on the list, darling," Ino said dismissively. "And remember what we talked about earlier? Oh, here's a potential lead. How good's the zoom on that camera? And how are you doing with those desk drawers? Don't forget to check for false bottoms, like I showed you. That's it, good job, keep tapping…"

* * *

**Third item: Art from the Heart! – 100 Points**

"Okay, now do it like _this_!" chirped the Artiste, posing fashionably for Sasuke to help the teen get Into the Moment.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to search for other items on the list?" ground out Sasuke between his teeth. Even the double-paned glass hadn't kept out the howls of laughter from his not-so-much friends as they'd brought out seats to watch him squirm.

"No way! This is the one with the most points! It must be the most important one! Oops, you moved—hold on, I'll get your wig right again in a sec. This is gonna be the best picture of you and Auntie Sakura ever. Do you think she'll like the light saber I gave her? And the motorcycle wheels for legs?"

"She will treasure this forever…"

* * *

**Twenty-eighth item: Secret Garden – 15 Points**

"Do you know if the Uchihas have any Robert Louis Stevenson books here?"

Sakura looked at the bookcase, and shook her head. "I don't see any, why?"

"I know Dad likes Stevenson. The adventure stories; he reads them to us as bedtime stories. He's really good at pirate voices."

Sakura smiled, imagining the four children piling on top of Kisame as he read to them at night. Her heart warmed up to the gruff-but-gentle giant. "He sounds like a good dad."

"He is. And Uncle Itachi's really good at reading stories, too. He isn't as good at the voices, though."

Sakura laughed aloud, and turned to look at Kisame's oldest. "So what does this have to do with a secret garden?"

"Stevenson wrote a poetry book for kids called A Child's Garden of Verses. I was looking for that. Dad would give us bonus points for actually finding it."

Sakura blinked. "That's a really good one. I hadn't thought of that."

The youth shook his head and sighed. "I think I'll need to change tactics if we can't find it. Are we allowed to go outside?"

"Absolutely!"

"Let's go to the front—there were lots of gardens out there; maybe there's a small pathway that will look secretive…"

"Sounds good—my favourite flowers bloom out there, too, actually. Let's go see if we can find them."

"Here they are," Sakura said with a smile, and heard the distinctive click-wrr of the digital camera. "You took my picture?" she asked, puzzled.

"With the flower. It's part of a garden."

Sakura laughed and checked another box off their list. "Good enough! All right, what's next?"

The child adjusted the camera and reviewed the preview pane on the back—he was quite satisfied with the image of Sakura smiling in the dappled sunlight in the private corner of the garden, her face caressed by the soft petals of the large yet delicate, snow-coloured flower.

* * *

**Eighth item: Man of the Year – 5 Points**

"I don't think I'm supposed to be taking your picture, Uncle Ramen; let's go find Daddy and Uncle Itachi."

"Aw! Come on!..."

* * *

**Fourth item: Shake your Groove Thang – 15 Points**

"Aunt—Big-Sis Ino? Did you break Uncle Itachi's iPod?"

"No, I did not break his iPod. It was already… rattling."

"It's not nice to lie."

"We've had this discussion already, remember? Squealing is tattling, and it's very unflattering. Now how about that leather bag over there?" Ino immediately made her way to the bag that was wedged between the chair and the desk; it looked professional, but worn. It was obviously carried frequently. Ino could have smacked herself—she should have searched it first.

"No, that's Uncle Itachi's books from university. I really don't think his iPod made that noise earlier."

"Look, we're fine. The iPod is fine. If it really comes down to it, I have five bucks and you have youth and curiosity on your side, and I'm sure we can work this out."

"I'm not lying for you, Big-Sis Ino. Lying is wrong."

Ino was getting tense, and gave the stupid mp3 player another rattle. "It's not lying, it's—"

_Click-wrr_

Ino turned wild blue eyes on her protégé.

"What did you just d—"

"You shook his groove thang."

Ino's jaw clenched. Hard. She put down the leather bag that held Itachi's notebooks, coming to a quick decision.

"Let's move to Uncle Sasuke's room." Then, "Want me to hold the camera for you?"

"Lying is wrong, Big-Sis Ino."

* * *

**Third item: Art from the Heart! – 100 Points**

"I don't think we have enough macaroni," said the youngest child pensively, bottom lip sucked despondently into a tiny mouth. Tears threatened to make their presence known directly.

"… Would you like to go get some more? We can drive to the store," asked Sasuke reluctantly. Cheers erupted from the audience that had assembled outside the room. Kiba held up a "We heart You, Uchiha!"-sign he'd made from the inside of a cereal box that morning. Sasuke mentally cursed them all.

But his little ward turned huge, adoring eyes on him, and he felt himself… melt… just a little bit on the inside.

"Really? Could we go get those curly ones, too?!"

Oh for …..

"Sure," the Uchiha felt his shoulders sag under the weight of all that… unconditional love.

_Click-wrrr_

Sasuke was going to fucking kill Kiba.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Thank you for the rush beta-job, nikolita! (All mistakes remain my own.) Next chapter will be ready for Friday, Sept 13, 2013.


	14. Chapter 14

**Twenty-fourth item: Communication – 15 Points**

"A telephone's too obvious," Sakura agreed, and she and her charge, Yuji, mulled over the list together.

"Something wrong?" Itachi leaned over the side of the couch where Sakura sat, and glanced over her shoulder. "Is this the scunt list you and Sasuke prepared?"

"Yes—we're trying to come up with an idea for Number 24… but no giving hints! That wouldn't be fair!" Sakura laughed, and nudged his leg with her elbow in teasing when he came around to take a closer look.

"Uncle Itachi, are you still studying Peace and Conflict in school?" asked Yuji suddenly, thoughtful as ever.

"Hn, yes," he answered, and glanced up to look at the child; Kisame's oldest child was watching him a bit oddly.

"Do you have any of your textbooks?"

"Yes, they're in my bag, under my desk."

"Peace and conflict imply communication of some sort—or rather, a lack of communication, in many cases…"

Itachi was watching Yuji with a small smile upon his face. "Very good."

"I'll say," agreed Sakura, and her own smile widened at Itachi. "I don't suppose you'd mind—"

"For you, anything," he said softly, and his eyes gentled as they turned back to Sakura and stared down at her.

Their gaze met, held.

_Click-wrr_—but it was muffled by the thumb the child held over the small camera.

Itachi and Sakura didn't even hear it.

"Well," said Sakura after what she knew was far too long, breaking their mesmerized gaze, "Let's find that book!"

"My bag's under my desk, in my room—do you know the way?"

"Of course. Thank you, Itachi."

"You're very welcome, Sakura. Anytime."

Yuji watched them both.

* * *

**Second item: I'm surrounded by idiots – 10 Points**

_Click-wrr_

"Did you finally decide to take my picture for the Man of the Year?"

Dake, Kisame's second youngest child, looked solemnly up at the Scunt Guide assigned to him.

"I think you're a very special person, Uncle Ramen."

"Aw, c'mere you little goombah! That deserves a hug!"

* * *

**Eighth item: Man of the Year – 5 Points**

Ino's eyes shone with glee as she opened the cupboard beneath Sasuke's nightstand.

"Jackpot."

She spied at least three different brands of condoms, lube, massage oils, manuals, baby wipes, spare batteries, tissues…

Then she glanced back at the list, and scowled.

"Five points!? He totally deserves way more than that for this!"

"Can I see?" asked Makoto, Kisame's second oldest child.

Ino paused. "Er… not this time."

"Big-Sis Ino, isn't this invasion of privacy?"

"No—and keep searching Sakura's side of the bed. She usually hides things under her pillow."

* * *

**Third item: Art from the Heart! – 100 Points**

"And this! And this! And this!"

Tomo, Kisame's youngest child, hopped excitedly down the aisle, jabbing tiny fingers at each kind of pasta, and Sasuke followed dutifully with the shopping cart.

Then the youngster turned to look at Sasuke again, face suddenly blank.

Sasuke stared at them.

Then felt himself go cold.

He grabbed the child from under his arms, recognising the signs.

"Where's the nearest bathroom!"

* * *

**Third item: Art from the Heart! – 100 Points**

Sakura felt her heart stop.

Just stop.

No warning.

There was no warning, when coming across things like…

Her hands trembled at the book that had slid out of the bag and fallen open. There was a mad rushing in her ears that blocked out all sound.

Her eyes were the only part of her that were working.

Everything else was in a state of complete failure. .

Itachi certainly had wedged his work in—she and Yuji had had to work hard at pulling the textbooks out. And then another two books had tumbled out right alongside, and she'd tried to catch them but they'd bounced right off her hand.

And now she was struck mute.

Unable to breathe.

Trying to swallow, but feeling herself trembling, shivering, shaking.

Her fingers shook harder when she debated whether or not to turn the page with the pencil sketches on it, or whether to slam the book shut and pretend she'd never seen it.

"You look lovely in that one," said a quiet voice from over her shoulder.

She tried to tear her gaze away from the page before her, but even as she turned her head, her eyes remained glued to the image.

"Wh-What …. What are you…" she tried, forcing her mouth to make words.

Yuji looked at her, watched her silently, then looked back at the sketchbook.

"He has others. They're all of you. They're always of you. Apart from a few of sakura trees. But… I always thought those were of you, too, in a way."

Sakura didn't know what to do.

The child raised the camera, but suddenly Sakura was moving, gently but firmly raising a hand and lowering the camera.

"But this is art from his heart," Yuji began, but Sakura shook her head.

"Let's find something else."

Reluctantly, Yuji put away the camera, and Sakura hastily shoved the books back inside the bag, ignoring the order they'd been in. Praying Itachi wouldn't notice.

She'd been so absorbed in that task, and in the book, she hadn't even heard Yuji taking her picture when the book had first tumbled out to splay its pictures before her.

* * *

"Not coming?" Kisame looked up from his book as Itachi joined him. Further down the beach the surf pounded the shore, and Kisame had finally been able to relax for a bit.

Itachi shook his head. "Apparently Deidara did something to the van, and then Konan and Pein had some kind of meltdown to take care of at the club."

Kisame snorted. "Considering the crew already banging around here that may have been for the best."

"Hn," agreed Itachi, handing a glass of ice water to Kisame. He took a seat on the railing and looked out over the water.

Kisame looked up at him from behind dark sunglasses, watching the subtle changes in the Uchiha heir. There was a secret revealed in his gently hunched shoulders, his distant mien; his eyes, though, were the most expressive, and kept changing, belying his conflicted emotions.

Feeling eyes on him, Itachi looked back over at Kisame.

"Hn?"

"Nothing," said Kisame, and they went back to watching the ocean from the wraparound porch.

He would find out soon enough what had changed; after all, his kids were on the case.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: As always, many, many thanks to Nikolita for the amazing beta help and suggestions! All mistakes remain my own. Also, thank you to everyone leaving a quick note in the reviews; you make my day. Next update expected Sept 20, 2013.


	15. Chapter 15

**Eighth item: Man of the Year – 5 Points**

Sakura was still mentally shaking herself as she wound her way through the sprawling Main Lodge to the front hallway, just in time to hear the front door lock softly clicking as the door itself slowly swung open. It took her a moment to recognise him, but when she did she couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

When he finally saw her, it quickly broke free; and she kind of wished she had a camera of her own to capture the moment.

"He's asleep," Sasuke mouthed, tilting his head to the sleeping bundle slumped over his shoulder.

"It's past his naptime," said Yuji quietly at Sakura's side.

"Let's go put him down for a nap, then, and we'll grab a snack. Sound good?" She asked him, and he nodded at her before leading Sasuke towards their cottage.

Sometime later, Sakura joined them all back at the Compound (as the children said their father referred to it) with a huge basket of snacks and drinks. When Yuji asked if he could go play with his phone for a bit, Sakura waved him off and told him to enjoy his time by himself. He smiled at her gratefully and scampered over to one of the bedrooms. She had a feeling he often looked after his younger siblings, and so would probably relish being on his own, undisturbed.

She and Sasuke sat facing each other on the floor. The quiet room was relaxing, what with the sound of the surf pounding the beach distantly, and the soft hum of the air conditioner adding white noise to the background.

"Looks like yours had too much fun," she remarked, nudging Sasuke's leg with her toe.

He _Hnn_-d at her tiredly before leaning his head back against the couch and closing his eyes.

After a few minutes she heard his breathing even out and deepen, and couldn't help her smile softening as she watched him.

Then she crawled over on her hands and knees and tucked herself into his side. His warm arm settled around her shoulders and pulled her close, and together they enjoyed a well-deserved nap.

* * *

Ino and Naruto sent their 'kids' off to play in the gazebo for a few minutes and compared notes.

And found they had very little to compare.

"You focused so much on the scavenger hunt you completely forgot about the goal!" snapped Ino.

"Nuh-uh! We looked, but Itachi was always out of sight! And you didn't find anything, either."

"I had a very observant tagalong," she said.

"Heh, couldn't snoop when you had a conscience with you, huh? Ow!"

"Are you okay, Uncle Ramen?"

"It's not nice to hit people, Big Sis Ino."

* * *

"So, did you little monsters keep the bigger, uglier monsters busy today?" asked Kisame on the porch outside the main villa's kitchen.

"Not Quite Uncle Itachi isn't ugly! He's super fun!"

"Yes, I remember all the pictures you drew together. They were beautiful."

"Sakura really liked the light saber and motorcycle wheels-for-legs one."

"She did," agreed Kisame. "How about you two? You were with the blond ones today, weren't you?"

They were interrupted by the mad shrieking that rent the air.

"Spiders! Spiders in all my make-up! And my flat iron has peanut butter on it!? This was imported! WHO WAS IN MY ROOM!? Sneaky little sons of b—."

Kisame coughed hard and waved his hand through the air. "AH. Must be something going on at the main house."

"I think Big Sis Ino learned a lesson about respecting others' privacy."

Kisame struggled to keep a straight face at his daughter's deadpan delivery.

"And I think Uncle Ramen needs a special helper adult, like some of the special kids in school, Daddy."

"Did he try to get you to spy on Sakura and Itachi and Not Quite Uncle Itachi, too?"

"I think he forgot. He really wanted to find the goggles from the list."

"But they didn't have any points."

"That's what I tried to tell him! He's not a very good listener."

"That shot of him for the Surrounded by Idiots item was pretty funny!"

"It was, wasn't it?"

"How about you? Did you have a good time?" Kisame looked at Yuji, who'd been paired with Sakura.

"Okay, I guess. Is Uncle Itachi dating anyone?" the child asked, catching Kisame off-guard.

"No," Kisame said slowly, watching the child from the corner of his eye. "Not that he's mentioned."

"Hmm. I didn't think so."

Kisame regarded the quiet child a moment before ruffling his hair. "I can see you're working on something, inside that noggin. We'll talk later."

"Hn."

"Don't you dare go Uchiha on me; use your words. Your Uncle Itachi's bad enough."

* * *

"Do you need anything else before I head back?"

"I think we're covered. Thanks for bringing over the milk & cookies, the kids settled after the story you read them."

Itachi's expression softened and he nodded once. "Happy to serve."

"You are, aren't you?" said Kisame quietly, catching Itachi's eye. "You're happy doing things like this."

"I have said it before, I look forward to having my own family later. I see how happy yours is, and the closeness you have with them. They're good kids, Kisame. Thank you for inviting me over."

"Says the man who invited me and my four wild kids to his beach house." Kisame snorted, and Itachi's eyes shone with good humour.

Itachi stood and stretched, then packed the plates and cups onto the tray with small efficient movements.

"If you're waiting for her to have this, you will be waiting even longer, Itachi," said Kisame after a moment, not unkindly. "I'm an old man now, compared to a lot of guys. I should be having grandkids. Do you want to be this old and still changing wet sheets at night?"

Itachi picked up the tray and leaned against the doorway, thinking over the truth behind Kisame's words. A former soldier turned academic, Kisame was on his second career, started late, and founded his family even later. Yet in Itachi's eyes, Kisame had it all.

"You're a good father, Kisame. I think that's what is most important to them."

Kisame leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, and looked hard at Itachi.

"I think you'll be a good dad, too, kid. But the longer you need to wait for her, the longer you wait to reach your own milestones." He held up his hands as Itachi turned distant. "She's young, Itachi. She'll hold you back; she won't mean to but she will. You'll hold yourself back for her. Hell, you already have. Do you want to wait another five, ten years? Because she's ambitious, too, and she'll want to finish school and establish herself professionally before she gives an inch toward her personal life. That's fine for her – but you're already there. Just have a think about it, okay? G'night."

Kisame's words hung in Itachi's ears as he closed the cottage door behind him and made his way down the path back to the main house.

A rustling from the bushes caught his attention, though, and he paused to look at them more closely.

"Come out," he said, and was unsurprised when Yuji, Kisame's oldest, quietly emerged. They looked at each other for a moment, and Itachi patiently him out.

"Is it still okay for us to e-mail you, if we need to?"

Itachi nodded. "Always."

"Okay."

* * *

(Next day)

Naruto and Ino were bickering quietly just outside the limo when Sasuke walked out carrying the last of the luggage. They stopped immediately upon seeing him, before they started elbowing each other and stealing meaningful glances his way.

Had he been a more expressive man, Sasuke was sure he would have been ducking his head and rubbing his temples already; but he was a reticent bastard and so resolved himself to suffering some manner of annoyance and irritation when it came to interactions with the Blunder Twins.

Internally wincing, he made his way to them and dropped the luggage on Naruto, ignoring that blond's protests when the other blonde straightened up immediately, crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a vapid grin.

"Your aim's off, Sasuke—you were supposed to put it in the trunk, not on the dunce."

"What are you two up to?" he asked point-blank.

"Nothing," they said at the same time, and Sasuke swallowed a groan when they could barely keep from catching each other's eye to confirm that that was the story they were going with.

"Hn. Then I take it I can tear up these extra tickets my parents got us for that big concert in July for the long weekend—"

Their blue eyes bulged, and they both leapt at him.

"We'll be good!"

"I promise!"

Sasuke smirked.

While Naruto packed the luggage into the trunk, Ino took him aside, casually glancing around them for eavesdroppers.

"Ino…"

"Shhh," she looked around one last time, and then shoved him into the house, closing and locking the door behind them. Then she hustled them into a small sitting room, and closed the door behind them again.

And faced him.

And actually looked vulnerable, which was possibly a first for her if she was being honest.

He grunted at her in question.

"Oh for god's sake, you stupid Uchiha," she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I dragged you in here because we all know you're just biding your time until the house is empty so you can go bang Sakura without an audience."

Sasuke stilled… then without realising it, he noticed his shoulders had tightened to an almost painful level, and his face was pale except for two spots of intense red on top of his cheeks.

"Mind your own f—"

Ino held up her hands in a gesture of peace.

"Wait—I just… Fuck, this should have been your brother, but—" She cut off her rambling words too quickly, changing tactics. "Right. Well, Sasuke, how much do you know, I mean, _really know_, about sex?"

"I took the same classes you did, Ino," he bit out. His hands were practically shaking in anger.

"Listen to me, Sasuke, I'm not here for my well-being. I'm here to save your relationship with Sakura. You're a smart guy most of the time, but if it took you your entire life to admit you loved Sakura, then there's a good chance that she is going to be your first as much as you are going to be hers. There's a reason we girls call our first boy-fuck a 'Three Minute Miracle Man'. Do you have any idea what it is going to be like? No, you don't. Don't you dare turn away from me, I'm trying to help you! Good, now sit down, I don't like to repeat myself and I feel creepy giving you, an Uchiha, this talk."

When he glared at her before stomping over to a seat, he felt his blood boil in anger and forced himself to remain calm.

Ino watched him, and let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"Okay, here's the deal, Sasuke. You and Sakura love each other very much. You are about to physically hurt her while trying to express how much you love her, and she loves you so much she is going to try and hide it and not cry when you lose control of yourself and start hammering into her. For the love of all things holy, follow Ino's Advice: love her first, then make love to her. Engage her mind, then her body. Touch her heart, her soul, and then, her drive. Make this experience memorable for her before the big event. Because you are going to disappoint her, Sasuke, make no mistake. And it is going to take some time for her to heal before she is willing to take you in again. Accept that. But the more gentle and patient and understanding you are, the better and easier and less painful it will be on her, and she will forgive you before you even finish—which won't take long."

She looked at him gravely, pleading with him with her eyes. In spite of his disgust that she had cornered and poked her nose into his private, very personal business, Sasuke took a deep breath and listened. Ino was a girl, and she knew what she was talking about, in this case. Most of all, she knew Sakura, and he would never discount Sakura's welfare for his own selfish reasons.

Seeing she had his attention, Ino relented a bit, and sighed before continuing.

"Do you understand, Sasuke? She loves you, and she's about to give you something she can't give anyone else. Do you really understand what it means to trust someone that much? Don't ignore the little things, thinking you can make them up later—for a girl, for her, for Sakura, you can't. There will be this moment with you, and that is going to stick with her forever. Everything else will compare to this—showing her how much you care for her and her wellbeing beforehand will work wonders for both of you, and especially for your relationship. If you want it to last past this summer, just… pay attention to her, okay? For god's sake, don't let your dumb handle run the show."

After a tense time, Sasuke relaxed his shoulders and nodded at her once in understanding.

Then he arched a brow at her when she gave him a confident smirk.

And so when Ino tossed her long hair over her shoulder, she had the gall to take a step closer and lean in to whisper in his ear, "By the way, I saw your toolbox and I think you're already doing it right so far. I heartily recommend the warming gel in the red bottle, by the way—Sakura loves cinnamon and that one gets hot." He felt his stomach drop into his feet.

-then shouted, _"INO!" _at her back as she ran giggling from the room to hop into the limo, its engine already rev'ed and waiting.

"_Sasuke's getting laaaaiiiiiiiid!"_

There were cheers from the limo as it pulled away, but not before Kiba gave him a manly hug and a box of chocolate and a bouquet of balloons proudly proclaiming and celebrating his pending Devirgination Day.

Sasuke fucking hated Kiba.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Thank you for reading! FYI for those counting, the story (at least this arc) will be complete with Chapter 20. The next arc is in progress but isn't set in stone.


	16. Chapter 16

T-minus 5 hours and counting.

_Clean up the house. (Done)_

T-minus 2.5 hours and counting.

_Share an elegant meal. (Snacks—counted? Done)_

T-minus 1.3 hours and counting.

_**Expel. Itachi. **__**From the premises. (Incomplete)**_

T-minus 0.5 hours and counting.

_Lounge on beach in (revealing?) swimwear. (Done)_

T-0 _Suggest… communal bathing in whirlpool tub?... Clothing optional. (Done and DONE)_

In the safe confines of his room, Sasuke looked over his carefully made plans and felt his brow furrowing. Complete, nearly all of it, except for one tiny—well, maybe not so tiny—thing.

The only thing he was having a problem with was getting rid of his brother.

For whatever reason, Itachi had decided not to join Kisame when the older man had started packing up his family that afternoon the way they'd originally planned. In fact, Sasuke had overheard his brother mentioning to Kisame that he thought he'd stay for another few days, until the holiday weekend traffic had cleared.

Sasuke had nearly lost it at hearing that, but had clenched his teeth hard and resisted the urge to smash his head into the wall behind him—just barely.

Sakura had told him she didn't want anyone around. Anyone.

And most of all, Sasuke himself did not want Itachi around. He wasn't sure whether to qualify it as too much of a coincidence, or just a gut-feeling, but…

_Hnnn._ Sasuke let out a long, low breath.

He didn't want to think this of his brother—he didn't. Sakura was right, he'd adored and idolized his arrogant brother, too perfect to be real, since the day he'd been born.

But… but the way Itachi had always been too conveniently nearby to help Sakura through the weekend; and even before then, the way he'd suddenly started coming home more often on weekends once he and Sakura started officially seeing each other, the way he was always available to help tutor Sakura if she needed extra help on an assignment, the way it never seemed to take him out of his way to get take-out or tea if he was 'in the area' and happened to call Sasuke to see if they needed anything…

The way he and Sakura had been cuddled together in the limo on the way to the beach house…

Sasuke rubbed his head roughly, still unwilling to believe it, but too perceptive to let it pass unanalyzed.

Why was his brother, university genius, suddenly spending so much time around a bunch of high school 'kids'? Didn't he have his own friends, work, schooling to do?

Sasuke knew Itachi had always watched over him, whether he'd wanted him to or not. This could certainly be an extension of that preoccupation, but Sasuke doubted it.

No. The way Itachi had fawned (in his way) over Sakura all weekend, the way he'd made sure she always had enough to eat, made sure he was available to assist her and her team with the scavenger hunt (when no one else could find him), and now, that he'd decided at the last minute to stay instead of leave…

_Has he stood in my way?_ Sasuke wondered to himself, somewhat distraught by his imaginings and burgeoning realizations.

_No,_ he decided reluctantly. His brother had never crossed that line.

_But has Itachi placed himself before Sakura deliberately, to get her attention?_

His heart thudded hard in his chest, once, then twice, before his pulse quickened and the tightness clenched uncomfortably, his breathing coming faster, harsher.

… Sasuke tugged harder on his hair, until he felt pain. Until he felt wetness prick at the corners of his eye, and still didn't want to admit it. Because Itachi was his brother, Itachi was his idol, Itachi was the one Sasuke compared himself to and wanted to better and wanted to impress and _oh gods no, please be wrong, because this was just strange and kind of sick._

Memories, slow at first, then piling faster, slid into his mind like an avalanche.

_His mother, smiling in exasperation as she asked Itachi, "When are you going to bring home a nice girl—or even boy, at this point!—"_

"_Mikoto!"_

"—_Hush, Fugaku, I don't care—but really, darling, we just want you to be happy. You've never brought home anyone. Do we embarrass you that much?"_

_And his brother, smiling distantly and shaking his head before giving their mother a kiss on the cheek, "Perhaps you should focus on Sasuke and his loved one, in the meantime? Haruno Sakura would make a wonderful addition to the family…"_

And another time, when he had asked Itachi for dating advice, awkward as it had been…

"_She mentioned the Human Body exhibit at the Civilization Museum—have you been yet?"_

_Sasuke had frowned. "When did she say that?"_

_Itachi had not looked away from the textbook he was reading, "I gave her a ride the other day, when you were staying late at practice; she was walking from the bus stop to the house, and it was raining. She said it was opening soon, and she'd been looking forward to it."_

"_That would be a full day trip, but if we could get our assignments out of the way, we could go Sunday…" he had mused to himself, before nodding at his brother. "Hn."_

"_Don't forget, our parents know the curator."_

Sasuke had nodded again, and waved at his brother as he left. He should have known that something was up when they 'happened' to meet up with Itachi and his friend Sasori at the exhibit, and he had ended up bullied and harassed by Sasori the entire time until he asked Itachi to take Sakura up ahead to get her away from Sasori's weirdness. The guy had been making those strange comments again, about wanting to immortalize beauty—but his focus on Sakura had unnerved Sasuke.

_I'm an idiot,_ Sasuke thought to himself as he heard Sakura finishing her shower in the ensuite bathroom.

How could he have been so blind?

Itachi had never brought home a girlfriend. At first, he had wondered if his brother was gay, but now it was becoming obvious.

Sasuke remembered now Itachi mentioning offhand that he was not gay, when Sasuke had awkwardly asked him.

"_Why would I date someone now? I'm still studying, I have limited free time." _

Though this had been an outright lie—Sasuke knew it because of how much time Itachi had been spending at the family home over the past half-year, and it had been another clue his brother had been at least partially hiding something from him—

"—_and if I were to be patient, I would find that I'd be in a much stronger position to proposition someone if I were to complete this next term of study. I'm already accepted into my graduate degree programme, and I'll have more research experience over the summer to secure my desired position… Why not wait until I'm in the perfect place before asking someone?... It makes more sense to me. She would have no reason to say no."_

"_So you do like someone specific, you're just… biding your time?" Sasuke had carefully clarified._

"_I am more than willing to wait for her; she has her own goals. I would never distract her from her path while she was so driven to succeed. She has… other… matters to attend to first, also," Itachi had admitted, somewhat distantly, looking away from him._

And Sasuke had assumed, at that time, that that meant that Itachi was in love with someone, or at the very least very much devoted to, but that she was with someone else and he felt he needed to be better than that person before he approached her.

Still sitting on his bed in his room at the beach house, Sasuke heard the bathroom door click as it unlocked and slid open, and Sakura stood before him smiling brightly and towelling off her long cerise hair. She was wrapped in her light robe again, the one he'd given her, and he could just see the hint of her underwear peeking through the gap, but his focus was entirely on her happy expression. Happy to see _him_.

"Hey there," she hopped up onto the bed beside Sasuke and nudged him with her shoulder. "After this, you said we were going to grab some supper, right? It was so nice of Itachi's friend Kisame and his kids to help us clean up, it went so much faster with so many hands. Anyway, I'm done in there, it's your turn."

_It's his turn._

Sasuke sat there for a moment, staring intently at Sakura.

_My turn. My Sakura._

Her brow arched, perplexed, and Sakura dropped her towel in her lap to wave at Sasuke, then touch her palm gently to his cheek when he hardly reacted.

"Sasuke, are you okay? Did all that cleaning wear you out?" she teased softly, her gem-coloured eyes looking into his onyx ones. "Should we order in and just sit back with a movie? I'm okay with that, you know… we can take our time."

_No,_ Sasuke thought to himself with sudden determination as his loved one misinterpreted his hesitation. The time for waiting was done, for him.

Mind made up, Sasuke's eyes darkened further and his hand rose to thread through Sakura's roseate hair. Deliberately, he caught her gaze and pulled Sakura to him, covering her mouth with his, deepening the kiss when she purred and moaned with contentment a second later.

"Everything is perfect, now," he breathed against her lips when he broke the kiss to inhale, before dipping back into her willing lips.

The kiss deepened, intensified, and turned carnal quickly.

His shower forgotten, Sasuke stretched out and set about seducing his girlfriend, ignoring the presence his last family member inflicted upon the beach house.

_Out of sight, out of mind,_ he decided, and pulled Sakura in closer to him again, moving against her and sighing happily when she responded. He loved her. She loved him. Really, that was the most important thing, wasn't it? She was with him now, and she was not going anywhere…

But still, he could not help that hint of doubt.

"Stay with me?" he breathed against her lips when he drew back just enough to slide his hot mouth down her silky throat, his long fingers sliding behind her neck to arch and expose her pale flesh to his eager lips.

"Yes," she whispered.

His excitement rose when she nodded a heartbeat later, and he guided her down to the sheets gently, his other hand settling at her waist to move her half under him where he pinned her with his strong, lithe frame.

"Yes," she repeated wantonly as he sucked on her pulse.

"Sakura," he moaned, feeling her hands on his chest, in his hair, under his shirt. Instinctively he reached down and hooked a hand under her knee, pulling her naked thigh up around his hips and grinding down into her through the fabric of his shorts and her flimsy robe, the friction sending electricity sizzling through him. He swore under his breath at the intensity of the feelings. His erection grew and tented against the fabric of his shorts.

"Sasuke?" she asked, before a keening sigh escaped her lips, setting his blood on fire.

"I… I want to, now. I love you, Sakura. I love you so much," he half-begged, half-demanded, his emotions running amuck through his heart. Possessiveness, jealousy, adoration, insecurity, entitlement, but most of all, complete dedication to her, his one and only.

"I want you, Sakura."

He heard her breathing change, felt her shudder as his fingertips traced over her already beaded nipples, and felt himself straining harder against the front of his shorts, her need feeding his.

"I want to sleep with you, to be with you, to take you in my bed right now," he admitted feverishly, grinding into her again and relishing in the sounds of her gasping purr.

"I'm here, Sasuke," she gasped. "Oh god I'm right here."

It was Sakura's turn to curse under her breath as she tried to retain some semblance of her quickly departing sensibility.

"Do you… are you… um… oh god, oh god yes," she whimpered when he tugged open her robe and spread it wide, rolling over her and kneeling between her thighs, his hands massaging her breasts as she keened and arched for him. "Protection, condoms, something-something-something? Please say yes," she tugged him down to her for a deep, drugging, longing kiss.

When he pulled back just enough to breathe, Sasuke smirked, but his voice was tellingly husky. "Yes."

They shuddered against each other at that admission, and he reached down, across the bed, and into his bedside table.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: We'll continue *that* next chapter. If you're uncomfortable with descriptive intimacy, you may want to skip the next chapter. It will be posted this coming weekend. Thank you for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**Forest Fire – 17**

"Close your eyes."

It took a few minutes, but when he finished moving around the room, Sakura sensed the lighting dim from behind her closed eyelids, and the strains of soft music followed by a spark of sulfur and the delicate scents of aromatic candles—a faint floral and seabreeze combination that immediately relaxed her.

"Okay…" the mattress at her side dipped and she felt a warm, naked chest press lightly against her back, and a shiver ran down her spine, tingling and leaving smouldering trails as it went. Strong arms settled around her middle, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin of her belly. Sasuke's lips tickled her ear as he whispered against her earlobe, "Open them."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she slowly opened her eyes and looked around the transformed room.

And then she nearly turned into a lustful puddle of goo in Sasuke's lap as he kissed her shoulder, nudging behind her ear with his nose, seeking her reaction. Her approval, she realised.

"Hn?"

"Oh, Sasuke…" Sakura couldn't find the words to express how touched she was by the romantic gesture. But she knew he was trying not to fidget, trying not to outright ask if she _liked_ it, so she bit her lip, bent her head down, and tried to calm her emotional breathing.

With a strong swallow, Sakura forced herself to not cry as she turned in Sasuke's to face him, smiling tremulously at him.

"It's so beautiful, Sasuke. Thank you for doing so much for me. I feel so cherished," she admitted, then bit her lip again, and her gaze turned away, self-consciously, feeling overwhelmed. "I just… I didn't even think to do something like this for you…"

"You being here with me _is_ that, Sakura. Even if you hadn't wanted to… sleep together… tonight, I still would have done this for you, with no expectations."

The force of her arms flinging themselves around him toppled them both backwards, and his rose around her smaller frame automatically, embracing her tightly; and when she kissed him, hard, he responded and soon their exploration went from curious to sensual then provocative.

Sasuke turned them over and around, and soon had Sakura spread out beneath him, their limbs tangled together on the comforter.

Piece after piece of clothing was stripped off and discarded, leaving them bare to each other as their tongues caressed and diverted before reconvening.

Breathing hard, he lifted his head as he felt her reach for, then tentatively grasp, the part of him that strained for her.

"Are you… ready?" he panted, and all he could think of was his much-lauded self-control and how he prayed he would not embarrass himself, and _dear gods_, please let him hold out because this was already the most intense thing he had ever felt and they had not even started yet…

Sakura nodded, and together they tore open the square of cellophane, and with slightly trembling hands they unrolled it down his hot, silken shaft.

Sakura watched him, her cheeks pink as she felt herself aroused beyond belief at just the sight of Sasuke holding himself like that and looking at her with those intentions, and wondering if she should not feel just a bit more embarrassed at being naked with him.

Then she felt his long, gentle fingers run delicately along her opening, easing themselves between her slick folds, and she trembled again at the sensation, rolling her hips a bit to encourage him.

"E-easy," he counselled, but his voice hitched, and he twitched, betraying his eagerness. "Slow and steady…"

And after a few minutes with some guidance from Sakura they found the small nub of nerves that made her shudder beautifully at his touch.

They both felt the wetness that welcomed his touch a second later, and breathing hard, Sasuke knelt closer, bringing his bulbous tip to her entrance, and coating it to ease his way into her passage even as Sakura gasped at the feel of it.

"Oh fuck," he hissed quietly, his face a tortured grimace of pleasure and pain as he pushed in, inch by inch, his eyes shut tight even as he wanted to open them to watch Sakura. He paused every few seconds as he felt Sakura's grip tightening almost painfully on his arms as she breathed harshly, trying not to whimper.

"Slowly," she whispered. "Slowly, ow, ow, ow…"

"I'm so sorry," he murmured. "Oh fuck, wait, don't move."

"Okay," she agreed readily and swallowed, breathing long and slow, letting her head rest back against her pillow again as she felt the walls of her inner channel adjusting to the length and girth of him.

Sasuke's head hung forward and down, his shaggy hair hiding his face from her, but she saw the tension in his shoulders, felt the way his fingers dug into her hips as he gripped her to hold them both steady. He was on the brink of losing his control.

And she had never felt so empowered.

Because Sakura was sure that Sasuke losing his control would be possibly the sexiest thing she had ever seen – and it was all because of her.

Surprisingly, she felt herself tightening around him, clenching around his monstrous cock, at this notion, and more wetness seeped between her thighs. Even as she heard Sasuke hissing in pleasure at the feeling, she felt a shudder of pleasure run through her, surprising her. And when he moved forward a bit more in her when she nudged him onwards, she noticed it did not feel quite so painful. Interesting.

_Relax, and enjoy,_ Ino had teased her.

Willing to examine this a bit further, Sakura let herself watch the place their bodies merged as inch after inch of her boyfriend filled her, until he was seated nearly sac-deep in her.

"I… There's something… there…" Sasuke said levelly, and Sakura could see him straining. "I think… I have to go through it, to go further in." He paused, and looked at Sakura in her deep, dark emerald eyes. "I've heard this can hurt."

He reached for her then, when she nodded, and they clasped their hands together.

"On three?"

She nodded, and they each took a breath.

"One," she counted, her eyes on his.

"Two," he counted, his face full of remorse already—

—and suddenly thrust forward violently.

Even as she had expected it, the tearing wrenched through her and Sakura could not help crying out in pain.

* * *

Itachi's ears twitched, and he looked up from his assignment.

Sasuke and Sakura had been quiet for the last hour or so… Sasuke had said they were heading down for a nap, since they had finished the cleaning, but…

And then he heard Sakura scream in pain, and Itachi was already on his feet, vaulting over furniture in his haste.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so, so, sorry," Sasuke begged, raining kisses down over Sakura's tear-streaked face.

"It hurts, it hurts, I love you, Sasuke, but it hurts so much," she whimpered, shrinking away from him even as he was still inside her, between her thighs.

"It's just once, I promise, I'm all the way in now," he pleaded, holding her face to his even as he brushed hair away from her eyes, bending his forehead to hers and covering her with his body. "It gets better after this; the first time is bad, but everyone has told me this is the worst, and I'm so sorry, I didn't know it would hurt you this much."

"Sakura! Are you all right!"

"Fuck," hissed Sasuke as his brother hammered on the door to his room.

Sakura just buried her head in Sasuke's neck, her cheeks flaming. "Oh god, Itachi heard me?!"

"It's okay, it's okay," Sasuke soothed, cradling her in his arms.

"Sakura!" called Itachi again from the other side of the door, sounding irate. The doorknob rattled, but Sasuke had locked it. "Sasuke, are you there with her? Is she okay?"

"Everything's fine!" Sasuke called, irritated. "Sakura's just… not feeling very well," he said lamely, and strangely enough he felt Sakura chuckle weakly at that, and mumble, _"Understatement,"_ beneath her breath.

"Sakura! Are you there?"

"Oh fuck off, Itachi," Sasuke muttered and rolled his eyes, but gave Sakura a quick squeeze-hug, encouraging her to speak up.

"I'm h-here, Itachi, I'm fine," Sakura hiccupped a bit, giving away the fact she had been crying, and then they both cringed when they heard the doorknob rattling viciously in response.

"You don't sound fine," the eldest Uchiha growled from behind the door. "Do I need to speak to Sasuke for you?"

"No! No, I'm sorry, I was just… surprised by something. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you!" she called back, fumbling, and felt humiliated all over again. This had to be the most mortifying moment of her life.

"Are you able to come to the door, Sakura?" asked Itachi suspiciously. Sasuke nearly laughed at the horrified look on Sakura's face as she looked up at him, wide-eyed with terror.

"Not right now," Sasuke answered for her, and could not keep the frustrated amusement from his voice. Sakura gave him a swat to his chest, and he responded by darting down to kiss her on the end of her nose. Then, after a half-second of holding her gaze, he slowly dipped down, and languorously trailed his tongue around the seam of her mouth, teasing and tantalizing her before she opened to him instinctively and their kiss deepened.

Deep inside her, Sakura felt Sasuke… twitch as the kiss's intensity rose, and felt herself gradually relaxing as they continued kissing. Hands soon joined in, and she found her fingers tangled behind Sasuke's neck even as one of his hands reached between them and found that special spot between her legs that—

"_Mmmm…"_

—forgetting herself for a second, and their situation, Sakura moaned wantonly into Sasuke's mouth, finally relaxing around him again before tightening again, but this time in an effort to pull him further into her. Her hips shifted and tentatively rolled against his as Sasuke's hand caressed her neck and angled her for the kiss, slowly moving down to cup her full breast.

Unbidden, a breathy, throaty sigh of pure female satisfaction escaped from Sakura's lips when Sasuke pulled back for a second, and they heard Itachi suddenly still outside the door, the doorknob-rattling finally ceasing rather suddenly.

Sakura had just enough time to register the surprise—then the dawning realization, and knowing smirk—that spread across Sasuke's face before his eyes glittered and he immediately lowered his mouth to the proud, rosy tip that crowned her tightened nipple, his eyes never leaving hers as he lavished it with attention from his tongue.

Sakura's resulting moan was loud and its meaning obvious, and it was followed quickly by another when Sasuke ran the pad of his thumb on her pleasure centre at her apex in tandem with the circles he drew with his tongue.

Even as she felt herself getting wetter from his attentions, Sakura could not help her embarrassment—Sasuke's brother was just outside the door. Uchiha Itachi was listening to her. Mentally she cursed that stupid male competition gene that seemed to flare between the pair of Uchihas so brashly.

"Itachi, sorry, this isn't a good ti-_iiiiiiiime!" _Sakura tried to call out, only to feel Sasuke slowly draw his hips back from hers and rub her clitoris more determinedly, causing her voice to rise shrilly at the last moment. She glared at him as he smirked back at her.

There was a pause outside the door, and Sasuke took advantage of it to try and draw more poignant noise from the lover beneath him.

His dark eyes shone with amusement as he slowly pushed back into her, and he wanted to crow in amusement as he heard Sakura hissing, then groaning with pleasure as he stimulated her breast with one hand and her clit with his other.

"Keep going, Sakura," he whispered, his gaze still not leaving hers, holding her riveted. "I want to see you move as I push in and out of you, and I want to hear the sounds you make," his voice was barely loud enough for her to hear, but she did hear it, and they both felt her reaction as she tightened around him again, causing him to clench his teeth on a moan as he cursed again. "You sound so sexy, Sakura."

"Ah, Sasuke," Sakura moaned, and bit her lip, her heart soaring. This was it. This was what everyone had made such a big deal about. This mounting excitement and anticipation and she swallowed a gasp as he moved more purposefully, loving the increased friction. "More."

"Gods you feel so good," he praised her, oblivious to everything around them but her paradise that enveloped him like the most perfect thing on Earth.

And then they heard the doorknob one last time, and it must have been Itachi's hand falling from the doorknob like it was scalding hot.

"I'm going out," Itachi announced from the hallway, and the pair of teenagers writhing sensually on the bed barely acknowledged his parting words as they gradually learned to move together.

Their positions reversed and Sakura was on top by the time Itachi had made it out of earshot, and knowing they no longer needed to temper themselves to 'hide' from the eldest Uchiha, they vocalized more freely and openly.

"Sasuke," panted Sakura a bit later, as their hips rose to meet each other and she felt something building inside her. "I feel… I feel…"

"Don't stop, don't stop—oh shit, stop, please don't move, please don't move, just gimme a second—" Sasuke begged, his brow furrowed in near-pain as he slowed his pace, his hands accidentally squeezing Sakura's breasts harder than he meant to.

But Sakura didn't care, the rolling of her nipples was exactly what she needed and she felt the tug straight from her breasts to her groin, and the fluttering-tightening-clenching in her abdomen around the penis she vigorously impaled herself with—

"Oh gods, yes!" she burst out, and the spring inside her coiled tighter, tighter, tighter as she grabbed Sasuke's hands and brought them to her breasts again, "please, please r-roll them again, between your fingers, oh gods, oh gods-!"

"Fuck, oh fuck-!" wailed Sasuke, and Sakura was surprised to see he was near tears with emotion as he arched his hips and thrust up into her, once, twice, then setting a jack-hammering pace when he released her breasts and seized her hips to move her on him with purpose.

The friction sent them both reeling and Sakura reached down to touch herself to bring herself over as Sasuke's pace became wild.

"Oh gods, oh gods—Sasuke, I think I'm going to—"

"Oh fuck yes, Sakura, just ah – _oh fuck, I love you, I love you so much—"_

"I love you, too, Sasuk—_Ah!"_ The spring inside her—released, and Sakura's words caught in her throat as she cried out, feeling the spasming of his cock and her inner walls as they came together, hard.

"Oh f-!"

Sasuke's roar of release was purely male and primal, and it made Sakura come a second time, leaving her shaking and shuddering as it overwhelmed her all over again even as her channel greedily milked him of his seed.

Gasping, drained, chests heaving, their eyes closed and all they saw were white spots dancing with colour.

After a moment, Sakura collapsed atop Sasuke's chest, and together they lay, her head tucked into his shoulder, his arm around her hips then on her back to hold her to him as they tried to catch their breath.

"… Wow…"

Sakura felt Sasuke's chuckle rumble lightly from his chest against her own and her cheek, and she felt herself smile as his lips touched her forehead in a kiss of adoration—and gratitude.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"Is that Uchiha pride showing itself already?" she teased weakly.

She knew he was smiling—truly smiling, not smirking—when he replied sincerely, his fingers rising to thread lovingly through her hair, "No, I mean… thank you… for giving yourself to me. Letting me be your first. It's a gift you can only give once, and I'm honoured."

Calmed, and flattered, Sakura nuzzled and cuddled closer, her eyes drifting shut as exhaustion crept up on her. "There's no one else I'd rather be with," she admitted, and yawned.

Shifting gently so as not to disturb his lover, Sasuke drew the blankets up around them to ward off the chill of the evening, and settled Sakura against his side, her upper limb and leg slung over him possessively as he brought an arm around her shoulders.

"Me either," he whispered. "I wish I could save this moment. Forever. Like a picture…" he mumbled, his eyes already closed, too.

"Y'should talk to 'tachi, he drew lots of pictures of me… he could draw us together..." murmured Sakura, but her voice trailed off before she could finish her thought. Soon she was making soft, even breathing sounds, and Sasuke let his fingers brush through her hair for a bit longer.

But Sasuke was no longer tired.

No, instead he felt the bliss and relaxation and love he'd just discovered with the perfect girl clawed away by the doubt brought on by a few careless words. On the inside he began to seethe.

_What had she meant, Itachi had drawn lots of pictures of her?..._

It was a good half hour before he felt Sakura was deeply asleep enough to risk moving—and he felt another pang, emotionally as well as physically, when his softened length slid from her warmth. But he turned away from her and sat at the end of the bed, looking down at the wet flesh, the pink tinge to it, the rather startling amount of semen that filled the condom's tip nearly to bursting and leaked out the side—

—Sasuke's heart outright stopped dead in his chest.

_No._

_No. No. No._

His head whipped around to stare, wild-eyed, at his sleeping girlfriend.

_No, it couldn't have broken…_

_Could it?_

And then all the doubt and insecurity he had felt tingling around the edges of his senses rushed over him like a tidal wave, smashing into him and drowning him.

He staggered to the bathroom in a panic, pulled the—_useless?_—condom from his body and, after closing the door behind him, turned on every light and looked at it carefully.

There.

He found it, the tear, and nearly threw up when he saw it. So small, but—

_Oh god, oh god, oh god—_

_-no, I need to get a grip on myself,_ he told himself sternly when his hands started shaking, and he forced deep lungfuls of air into his body and focusing on a calming meditative exercise.

_Okay. When Sakura wakes up, ask her if she's on the pill._

_Next, if she is, make sure she takes it today._

_If she isn't on the pill,… Plan B. That's what it's called. Plan B._

There is always Plan B.

_You know Itachi would never have had this problem because he's so perfect_, a tiny voice wheedled him from the back of his mind.

Sasuke dropped to his knees, his head in his hands as he let his trembling and spike of nausea subside.

He was not Itachi. He was not Itachi. He was not Itachi.

And he would not let anything happen to Sakura.

_Because she chose me._

Taking a final deep breath, Sasuke rose to his feet and stepped into the shower.

As he cleansed and calmed himself, Sakura's last words to him were completely forgotten for the time being, replaced with more imminent concerns.

Little did he know, someone else had other plans.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: I know, I'm not the best at writing intimacy, but I gave it my best shot. ;) Thank you for reading, Ch 18 is expected next Friday!


	18. Chapter 18

Kisame looked over at Yuji, his oldest child, as he worked away on the family PC.

"Uploading the pictures from your scavenger hunt?"

"Hn."

Kisame guffawed and ruffled the child's hair. "Don't stay up too late. Remember, your mom wants to take you to the museum tomorrow. She feels bad about missing out on the beach trip."

"I know."

The last of the pictures uploaded successfully to the laptop, and the youngster diligently sent the whole zipped file to Naruto and Ino, as promised.

… and then, after a moment's consideration, forwarded the e-mail on to Itachi, who had always said he was there if Kisame's kids ever felt they needed someone to talk to but were not sure their parents would understand.

_She likes white flowers. And I think she liked your drawings, Uncle Itachi,_ he wrote, then signed the e-mail with his initials, sent it off, and shut down the computer after clearing the cache.

Ino had said to leave no trace behind, after all.

* * *

Sakura woke to darkness several hours later, and lay still as her disorientation ebbed away. The low throb between her legs did not abate, nor the pressure on her bladder, however. Over the course of her ahem, _exertion-induced slumber_, she had turned slightly away from the warm, firm body she'd fallen asleep across, but found Sasuke still had a possessive hand over her waist, holding her close to him. When she glanced slowly over her shoulder, the corners of her mouth pulled up at seeing his tousled hair in his eyes, his mouth open a hint as he breathed deeply, soundly.

Biting her lip and channelling her inner-Mikoto, she gently disentangled her legs from Sasuke's and reached for her phone on the bedside table.

_Must. Capture. Adorability—Factor of ten thousand!_

Muting the sound and stifling her grin of triumph, she set her phone down again and hobbled on wobbly knees to the ensuite bathroom.

She vaguely wondered if there was a post-first-time, er, numbing crème she could indulge in, or if a generic pain-killer might dull the ache.

* * *

Quietly padding down the dark hallway in Sasuke's slippers, Sakura yawned and pulled his housecoat closer around her shoulders. The night had become surprisingly chilly and the sea breeze wafted through the occasional window they'd forgotten to close before… becoming distracted. She turned on the kitchen light as she arrived, only to startle with a jump. She swallowed a shriek when she caught movement from the corner of her eye, in the dark.

"Sakura, I apologise. I wasn't aware anyone else was awake," Itachi murmured softly, shifting at the table. He pulled out a chair for her and stood. "Would you like something to eat? Drink?... I didn't see you and Sasuke for supper earlier."

Fighting down a blush, Sakura tried to smile but felt it come across closer to a grimace. "Please don't worry about me, sit down, it's okay. I can help myself," she insisted.

He smiled warmly at her and then shook his head lightly to clear his bangs from his eyes; it was then that she noticed his raven hair, normally tied back in its sleek queue, hung loosely around his shoulders. His collared shirt was replaced that night with a worn-soft grey v-neck jersey, and his legs seemed even longer than usual in his faded jeans, slung low on his hips.

Itachi actually looked… relaxed, Sakura realised with some surprise. Pulling down a cup from the cupboard beside him, she paused; then inched herself just out of his reach, as casually as she could, when she leaned over to fill it with water from the filter-tap at the sink.

"Trouble sleeping?" Itachi asked in his deep voice, picking up his teacup once more. He stretched and leaned back against the counter, watching her over the rim. "I would have thought you'd sleep like a stone, considering how busy you and Sasuke were earlier."

The water arched beautifully as Sakura spat her mouthful of water across the kitchen, choking.

"Cleaning up after the other guests left, I mean," amended Itachi innocently. "Everything all right?"

She closed her eyes firmly a moment, mentally agreeing with Sasuke that yes, for once, his older brother really could be the Devil.

"Fine, just fine. Went down the wrong way," she choked.

"I'm sure it did," Itachi murmured, his focus on his own tea.

With a jolt of surprise, Sakura's green eyes widened.

_Did he just… ?_

Mortified, angry, uncertain and self-conscious, Sakura felt her temper rise defensively.

"If you have something to say, Itachi, say it outright," she growled. "I'm not here for anyone's amusement."

"No, just my selfish younger brother's pleasure," he agreed smoothly.

_I'm stone. I'm stone. I'm stone,_ she repeated to herself, but felt her heart thud painfully to a stop in her chest; warmth rising to her cheeks even as she felt frozen to the spot.

"Did… did you just imply I'm a whore?" she whispered. And suddenly the pictures from his sketchbook flashed across her memory, pictures she'd forgotten about while she'd been half-asleep. Hurt stabbed through her like a knife tearing through her heart. _That _is_ how he sees me._

Itachi's dark eyes snapped to hers immediately in realization and widened, and he raised his hand to stop her but she was already running back down the hall.

"Sakura, no, that's not what I meant—"

"Fuck you, Itachi!" 

* * *

The door slammed loudly enough to rattle the windows, and Sasuke woke with a startled gasp, automatically reaching for Sakura and panicking when she wasn't in bed.

"Sakura! Sakura—_oomph!"_

Sasuke's arms wrapped around her as she leapt at and sobbed against him, his warm hands rubbing wide, comforting circles on her back.

"Hey, what happened? Are you all right? Sakura, talk to me, are you okay?" Frustrated and consumed with guilt, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair roughly, trying to reach the lamp to see if Sakura had been hurt.

_Oh gods, had he done something to her when they…._

Sitting up fully now and pulling her into his lap, Sasuke tried to tuck her hair behind her ear and pull her back enough to look in her eyes. "Come on, I'm worried Sakura, really worried now, okay? This isn't like you. Did I… did _I _hurt you?"

She shook her head, muffled her scream against him and beat her hands pitifully on his chest, her tears slowing and replaced by hiccups. The most adorable hiccups he had ever heard, but hiccups were better than tears in his opinion.

He tenderly waited her out, sweeping his hands through her hair to calm her, and eventually she sniffled and circled her arms around him to draw from his strength.

"You know, I don't think I've seen you lose it like that before," he brushed his knuckles down her cheek to disperse a stray tear. "Was it too much, earlier? If you need time to recover, I won't push you, Sakura, it's okay," he promised, but she shook her head again and took a deeper, shuddering breath.

"It's not that," she said. "I'm angry. And hurt."

Sasuke stilled, stricken to his very core. "Whatever I did, tell me."

"No, not you! Gods, no, Sasuke!" she exclaimed, and squeezed him so tightly that it forced the air from his lungs. "No, no, no… you were… you were just… I'm still… you were so perfect," her voice started to break down again, tight and twisted and angry and hurt, and Sasuke shook his head, confused.

"Then if it was… okay…" he said carefully, "what upset you?"

At that she ducked her head down again into his chest, and he felt more warm tears wetting through his shirt.

—along with the burning heat of her cheeks.

_She's… ashamed?_ He realised.

_But what did she have to be ashamed of? She hadn't done anything wrong; _he_ had—_

He paused and swallowed, considering his words very carefully. Had she realised the condom had broken? Did she think he'd done something to it? Was this the right time to say something? She seemed overwhelmed already.

Sasuke's mind whirled with possibilities, each more far-fetched than the last, and he felt himself beginning to panic all over again until Sakura shook her head slowly and swallowed, deepening her breathing to steady her composure.

"I went to get a drink," she forced her voice to remain level, as much as she could. "I got to the kitchen and Itachi was there, and we were having tea," here her voice became strained, and Sasuke had to lean closer to hear her. "He… he said…"

She broke off and he pulled back enough to see her biting her lip as she tried to hold in her tears, her chest shuddering with the effort. Most of the anger was waning, being displaced by other emotions.

"He said what?" Sasuke asked softly, still rubbing her back. Internally, he was preparing a mental guillotine for his brother.

But she shook her head, unable to bring herself to say it.

"Okay, it's okay, shhhh," he murmured. "You get some rest. You're here now, I'm right here. I'll always be here for you, Sakura, okay?"

She rubbed her eyes against his shirt in affirmation, and gradually relaxed in his arms until her breathing steadied and faded to a rhythmic lull.

Unwilling to let her go quite yet, Sasuke leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes, pulling Sakura closer to him and the blankets up over her shoulders.

He would speak to his brother in the morning; as much as he wanted to rip his face off at that moment, Sakura needed him more.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but he forced himself to remain where he was.

She needed him more.

_She needed him._

He rubbed at his face.

And he couldn't imagine a life without her in it, either.

* * *

It was a difficult decision for Sasuke, but Sakura begged and pleaded with him and so he had to relent—at least temporarily.

Deep inside he continued to simmer with a low-burning rage to avenge Sakura.

She would have none of it, though.

"No, Sasuke, I mean it—no fighting. I'll tell you later, when we go back. Not while we're here. Ignore him, we don't need to go anywhere near him. We'll deal with it later. For now, can't we just relax for a bit? You still owe me an explanation about your decision, you know. I haven't forgotten," her normally brilliant emerald eyes were downcast and hurt. They were red-rimmed and swollen and bruised and she was pale and wan and he wanted to wrap his hands around Itachi's throat for so upsetting her.

He ignored how much his own actions weighed on her, for the time being. He was still figuring them out, himself.

How could Itachi have said something so obviously devastating to Sakura? What the Hell had been going through his brother's head? Apart from the one incident where he'd walked in on Sakura showering, he'd never ever deliberately hurt Sakura before. It just didn't make sense; but even if it did make sense when he forced Itachi to explain, it was still inexcusable. He would never forgive Itachi for this. Their mother had raised them to never speak ill of or judge a woman, or anyone really, by their sexuality. While Sakura hadn't told him specifically what Itachi had said, her skittishness and avoidance led him to believe it had to do with their sleeping together. With this being Sakura's first experience and her first encounter post, er, _de-virginating_, he couldn't imagine how she must be feeling inside.

How could Itachi have been so callous with Sakura's feelings? Ino had told him she'd be insecure. Itachi had preyed on it like a hawk on a bunny, talons sharp and devastatingly accurate, and shredded her confidence and happiness.

The anger rose again within him, threatening to send small tremors of tension and frustration through his muscles. He needed to distract himself; more than that, he needed to connect with Sakura and reassure her Itachi was wrong.

And that was the stinger—how often had Itachi ever been wrong? No wonder it was resonating with them both so much. It was causing them to question themselves and what they had done. Making love together had gone from sharing something so wonderful, so loving and generous, to seeming like a rash, hormone-driven mistake.

But that was neither here nor there; what mattered most was Sakura.

With a low huff he felt his shoulders slump as the tension eased just enough and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and fitting her head snugly under his chin. For a second he enjoyed the feeling of their hearts beating together, against each other, before they calmed and found a new rhythm.

"Hnn," he murmured against her hair, kissing the crown of her head._ I adore you and always will._

Sakura let out her own sigh and burrowed deeper into him.

"I just want the summer with you, Sasuke. We don't know what's going to happen in the fall—so could we please just hang out together and talk? The way we used to? We used to tell each other everything. On the grad stage when I heard your plans, it felt like I'd been punched in the gut." Her fingers tightened in the fabric of his shirt and she rested her forehead against his chest. "It feels like you didn't trust me enough to tell me."

She glanced up at him from a tense, drawn face. "Last night I put more trust in you than I had anyone else in my life. I want to know why you didn't trust me enough to even mention your plans. We did all our applications together; I was ready to accept you maybe going to a different school, but all the way to Oto? When were you going to tell me? As you got on the plane?"

His brow furrowed slightly.

"Of course I trust you; but, firstly, we shouldn't use sex as leverage or explanation," he said firmly, carefully. He squeezed her tightly, running a hand over her back in reassurance. "Last night was love. I think we should keep it like that. We can talk about Oto when we have this resolved, okay? I don't want them to be connected."

It was the wrong thing to say, he knew it immediately as she pulled sharply away from him and stared at him. He had spoken the truth as he saw it and was confused, unsure what he had done wrong.

"Sakura?"

"'Keep it like that'? What are you saying, Sasuke?" she asked evenly, but she was breathing hard as she grasped at her composure. Colour was rising fast to her cheeks now, but rather than the happy, amorous flush he had expected it was the high dots of fury and anger.

Sasuke was completely thrown; what had he said wrong?

Sakura took a half-step back, folding her arms across her chest; his hands rested now on her arms, gently holding her elbows. It was not a completely loving embrace as it did allow him to feel her muscles tense and bunch before she might throw a good swing at him. He was well aware she had a fierce right hook.

"I'm… I'm saying that last night doesn't change our original decisions or plans, at least, not right now," he clarified slowly, cautiously; he rubbed his thumbs gently against her elbow to calm her as her breaths started coming harsher and more rapidly.

"Sakura? We're still together. We'll still be together when we leave in the fall; nothing changed how I feel about you. I love you. Sakura. Sakura?" he gripped her more firmly, his eyes narrowing in concern. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

"You're right," she whispered, horror struck, and he was stunned to find tears running down her face.

Sasuke wondered if she was speaking to herself or to him. He saw her eyes glazing over and the redness flushed her cheeks and throat and ears.

She was humiliated for some reason.

"You're absolutely right. Nothing changed last night, really, did it? I gave y-you… I… Oh god Itachi was right," her head fell forward into her hands, hiding her face; her trembling gave him heart palpitations while he struggled to understand.

Sasuke grabbed her shoulders when she tried to turn away from him. "Itachi was wrong, whatever he said, Sakura," he said immediately. "No, look up, look up at me now!" he demanded.

She kept shaking her head, her trembling morphing to outright shaking.

Sasuke let her go for a moment to run his hands through his hair. What had happened? What had he done wrong? He'd been honest and sympathetic, the way he was supposed to be—why was she falling apart?

"I'm… I'm going to call Ino, or Naruto, okay? Could Ino help?" he asked at a loss, his hand dropping from his hair to dig in his pocket for his phone. The pocket was empty; he had left it in their room in his rush to get her something to eat. They were now in the kitchen with the late morning light fading as clouds drew in for the storm they had hoped would blow over them later that week. It had arrived sooner than they had expected and the air gusting in through the windows turned almost hot.

Sasuke cursed under his breath as Sakura shook her head.

"Home," she pleaded. "I just want to go home. Gods, I'm so stupid," she murmured, rubbing at her face and finally looking up at him. Their haggard eyes met and it was her turn for slumped shoulders and resignation.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I don't know what I thought. Yes, you're right, it shouldn't change anything; but that doesn't mean I don't want it to."

"What do you want to change? Do you want me to be different?" he asked. Even as the words came out of his mouth, he knew they had been sharper than he had intended. Inside he winced. It was just because he was so tired and frustrated. His interrupted sleep and stress and now Sakura's strange reactions were wearing his patience thinner than usual. He needed sleep. He needed them to be okay. He needed Itachi preferably dead, or at least severely penitent.

"No," she sighed, and closed her eyes. "I just…"

The ache in his back and shoulders told Sasuke he needed to relax; he ignored them, waiting for her answer.

"I hadn't thought I was using sex as a way to control you, I'm sorry," she eventually said.

"It was…" her voice caught in her throat, and she swallowed.

So did he.

She opened her eyes again and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," she said for the third time. "I'm not hungry. I think I'm just going to go and lie down."

Exhausted, physically and emotionally, Sakura stepped away from him. Arms lowering, unresisting, he let her.

Sasuke watched her head back down the hall and then he turned to lean forward and stare unseeing over the sink. His knuckles whitened in their grip on the counter, but he did not notice until the ache in his wrists forced him to relent and he adjusted his hands to brace himself. After a moment his chin dropped to his chest, defeated, and he closed his dark eyes, warmth building around the edges.

_What the hell had just happened?_

From just outside the glass patio door, adjacent to one of the open windows, another set of dark eyes watched the scene before silently slipping away, enrobed in remorse.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!

Also, a commenter had mentioned it was incorrect that Sakura still had her hymen in the last chapter; no, I disagree. It is unlikely, but not 'impossible'. I checked my facts (as I wrote the original chapter) with sexual educators and (women) martial artists; it is still likely enough she would have had it. Let's also keep in mind the difference in body structure between Sasuke & Sakura – Sakura is petite, Sasuke is more tall and broad. The initial 'fit' isn't going to be without some accommodation. ;)

Thank you for mentioning it, though! I always appreciate corrections, along with your efforts to communicate them with me. They make for a stronger story!

Thanks for reading, and please expect Chapter 19 next weekend. Cheers!


	19. Chapter 19

When she had said 'lie down', perhaps she should have just left it as 'lie'.

Sakura tucked the last corner of her pyjamas into her bag and fastened the clip on the top, grateful Sasuke had not been in his room when she went to collect her toiletries from his bathroom. She had nearly broken down when she had seen the used condom and wrapper in the garbage, but had firmly turned her head away.

_What was done was done._

She closed and latched the windows in her room and sighed as she caught sight of the gathering storm clouds outside.

_Just perfect. _

With a tug her coat was in place and she slid on her sandals.

The taxi was meeting her further down the driveway, hopefully far enough away that Sasuke would not see it and try to stop her. She had left him a note on his side of the—on _his_ bed.

She swallowed her guilty conscience and made sure the hallway was clear, quickly exiting the beach house when she reached one of the side doors.

_And now you're hiding from your own boyfri—_

Tilting her head back she stared at the darkening sky for a moment, willing her burning eyes to dry.

_I just need some space to get my head on straight, _she told herself firmly.

This was not her. Running away? Not staying to fight and fix what was wrong? Pummelling the problem until it was resolved; physically, if necessary. Those were her trouble-shooting strategies.

But this time her heart was not in it; or maybe the problem was that her heart was so deep in it she could not see the forest for the trees.

Too much had happened in a short time. There was some kind of emotion-driven forest fire circling around her, boxing her in and suffocating her. She needed to get out of it before the smoke choked her and she ended up even more hurt.

She needed to step back and look at things, analyse them, and then make a decision based on what was, not what 'could be'.

But she still hated herself for leaving Sasuke alone in that forest fire to struggle by himself.

As soon as she was far enough away, she would text Naruto and make him check in with Sasuke. It should irritate him enough to push her out of his mind for a little while, at least. Yes, that was what she'd do. Naruto would take care of Sasuke.

The first drops of rain had just started spitting down when she saw headlights come around the corner, and she approached quickly, waving her arm—

—until she saw it was Itachi.

* * *

The engine rumbled quietly in the driveway as the spitting rain turned into a more steady drizzle.

Itachi let it idle as he lowered the window to speak to her.

"Please let me apologise to you."

"No, thank you. The cab's already on its way."

"It's too expensive, Sakura. Konoha is hours away. I'll drop you off at your family home, get in. I'm sorry, I'm very, very sorry. When I spoke last night, I didn't mean it the way it came across, and I'm so very, very sorry. Please let me explain."

"No, thank you."

She looked away and started walking around the car, heading further down the drive and away from the house. Sasuke could look out the window at any moment. Him seeing her speaking to Itachi would be the biggest possible nail in their relationship's coffin. She was not ready for that.

"Where's Sasuke? Why isn't he out here with you? He wouldn't leave you waiting alone, let alone outside in the rain."

The rain came down harder, getting louder. She ignored him. It was easy, considering she could barely see what with all the water streaming down her cheeks and face.

"Sakura?"

She continued walking, trying not to stumble and embarrass herself.

"Sakura, look at me," Itachi said more gently. "Did something happen?"

Damnit. Now she could not see at all.

The door of the car opened with a faint _dinging_ after a minute or two, and she felt warm arms guiding her shoulders to the passenger seat.

"Save your money, and sleep. I won't ask. I'll take you straight home," Itachi said quietly. "I'm not leaving you to travel on your own with a complete stranger for several hours. It's not that I think you can't defend yourself, Sakura," he said when she tensed. "I know you can. I've seen you lay out Naruto. It's that my mother would kill me if she found out. She is, possibly, the only person on Earth I truly fear."

"Don't," she said quietly, shaking her head.

"I insist," he took her hand, still gentle. "She would do worse to me than what Sasuke said you did to Naruto when you caught him trying to peek at you in the shower at our house last month. Uchiha Mikoto is cunning and terrifying. Trust me, my father is head of the national law enforcement agency, remember? He carries a weapon at all times and still watches himself carefully around his wife."

"She always was formidable," murmured Sakura, chuckling faintly.

Itachi's expression softened when he felt her resistance ebb.

"I'll take you wherever you want. I won't make you stay here, Sakura. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"I want to go back to Konoha, then," she whispered and looked up into his dark, dark eyes. "That's all."

He nodded and opened her door wider.

After a moment's hesitation, she stepped into his car and he closed the door.

Itachi reversed the car and their headlights led the way into the darkness, through the rain which continued pouring down.

* * *

Back at the beach house a priceless vase smashed against the wall and exploded in a hundred pieces. They scattered across the floor, shards escaping everywhere.

A note with familiar feminine scrawl was held too tightly in Sasuke's shaking grip, and he stalked in anger and frustration down the empty halls, throwing open doors and calling for Sakura at each one.

But she was gone.

* * *

Itachi glanced at Sakura via the rear view mirror, but she stared out the front windshield and ignored him.

He took a deep breath, held it, and let it out again.

She was crying again but no longer bothered to wipe at her cheeks.

After half an hour or so, when he checked her once more, she had drifted off to sleep. A quick prayer of thanks was mentally issued as he pulled the car gently to the side of the road. As quietly as he could, he wrapped his larger jacket around her and tucked her in before carefully tugging her cellphone loose from her hand, turning off the volume, and popping it into her handbag. He knew it was Sasuke checking on her. Sakura had ignored the calls prior to her nap. Itachi didn't want to risk it jostling her awake when she dearly needed sleep, if her sunken eyes were anything to go by.

That accomplished, Itachi pulled the car out again and continued on his way.

His good intentions didn't ease his guilty conscience, though. He sighed and mentally berated himself for all his mistakes as they made their way towards Konoha.

* * *

Sasuke's hand shot out to grab the bathroom wall as he was nearly sick.

_Shit. _

The dustpan clattered to the ground as the garbage cans contents stared up at him.

In all their time together that morning, he'd completely forgotten about the condom breaking.

His eyes tore to the clock by his bed, and he saw they still had a few hours left, going by what their health classes had taught them.

His heart in his throat, Sasuke felt his breathing going shallow as he snatched his phone from beside the clock and raced through the numbers. Sakura was still ignoring his calls, but someone else could help him—her—hopefully.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, and jabbed 'send call' when he reached the one he needed.

She answered on the second ring.

"Happy De-Virgination Day, Sasuke—!" she sang out loudly

Sasuke ignored all pleasantries.

"You need to get Sakura to a pharmacy, Ino, as soon as she gets into town," he said hoarsely.

"Holy shit, Sasuke, are you okay? You sound awful," her demeanour shifted to one of utter sincerity, and for once, Sasuke was grateful Ino was who she was.

"It broke. She doesn't know yet. I can't reach her phone. Ino, you have to help her," he begged, rubbing at his eyes.

"Slow down, Sasuke, I'm listening. I'm turning down my music. Now you said something broke and I had to get Sakura to a pharmacy? What br—oh shit. _SHIT! Sasuke!"_

"I know. I've been trying to get her but she's not answering her phone," he slumped down and leaned back against the bed.

"Why is—never mind, we'll get to that. When did she leave?"

"Around nine-thirty or ten, I think. Closer to nine-thirty."

Ino was silent for a moment and he was grateful that, for once, she was holding back her nosy, gossip-seeking tendencies.

"Okay," she said, and he heard her writing something down. "Now don't get mad at me, but when did you two do it?"

He growled, but knew they were working with a very short time frame. "Late yesterday afternoon, around suppertime."

"Good, that leaves us some time, hopefully. Is she coming by car? Bus?"

"Cab."

"Excellent, she'll be here around lunch. Sasuke, I'm going to go get her the Plan B and start hitting up her cellphone. You stay there and don't kill yourself. I'll check in with you once she's good to go, okay? I want you to answer me now that you're going to do what I told you."

"You promise you'll get her in time?"

"I'm going to promise that nothing bad is going to happen to her. You're doing everything right, Sasuke, telling me this so we can help her. Now promise me you won't do anything stupid," she repeated firmly.

He rubbed at his eyes again, and let out a long, low breath.

"Sasuke?"

"Fine."

It was Ino's turn to huff, but she let it go.

"I mean it, Sasuke—"

"I said fine!"

"No! I mean I'm relieved you called me instead of tearing off half-cocked and reckless. Don't worry, no best friend of mine is going out and getting herself bastards. Even if they are cutie-pie Uchiha bastards. God, your kids would be insufferably adorable," she teased, and he heard the smile in her voice.

"Thank you, Ino."

"Don't get sappy on me, Uchiha. You owe me for this," she tacked on.

"I do."

"Oh fuck, you're really scaring me now. Since when have you ever been sincere?"

"Since it mattered more than anything else in the world."

He heard Ino muttering another swear and just sighed, unable to make out Ino's words other than, "luckiest bitch in the world", and, "sooo getting details later, you prick".

"Right, well, I'm off to the pharmacy again to re-cement my reputation—fuck, this is like the third time this year, and none were mine," she muttered. "Why does everyone else have to get laid but me?"

"Ino," he said, not wanting to hear the sordid details of Ino's sex life, even if it was non-existent at that moment.

"Hang tight, and expect an update after lunch, got it?"

"Yeah. Bye."

He hung up and let his head fall back against the bed.

Time to hurry up and wait.

* * *

Sakura woke as Itachi was turning towards her neighbourhood.

"You remembered where I live?" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing at her eyes.

"Mm-hmm. Feeling a bit better after your nap?"

"Mmm. Just hungry," her stomach growled loudly, trying to outdo her and prove its point.

Itachi chuckled and Sakura blushed.

"Sakura, I want you to know that when I said what I did yesterday—about you and Sasuke—it was not meant to infer that I thought you were sexually loose. I would never, ever say that to anyone. What I meant was a joke in admittedly very poor taste that you were wasting yourself on Sasuke. I'm so so so very sorry. It was thoughtless of me, and I should have realised that it would be taken the wrong way. In time, I ask that you please consider forgiveness. I don't deserve it, but my apology is sincere."

"That doesn't make it better or right, but I do thank you for apologising, Itachi. You really… you have no idea how much that hurt me, last night. I've respected you for so long—did you have any idea how deeply that comment cut, coming from _you_? Of course you didn't, not until afterwards," she sighed. Then she yawned and stretched, arching her back until it made a tiny pop.

He looked over at her as she did, and she saw him struggling with emotions she couldn't name.

"I… If you need anything, I am always here for you. No matter what happens between you and Sasuke, I still consider us friends. And I'd like a chance to redeem myself, if possible, at some time in the future."

Sakura nodded but made no promises.

It was enough for Itachi for the moment, though. She looked far more relaxed now that she'd had a cry and a sleep.

They were pulling onto Sakura's street when she leaned forward, squinting.

"Is that someone in your driveway?" Itachi's eyes narrowed.

She nodded. "That's Ino's dad's truck. I wonder what's up. Oh, where's my phone?"

"I popped it in your bag so you wouldn't drop it."

With murmured thanks, Sakura turned it on and saw she had close to forty seven missed calls, from Ino, Sasuke, and Naruto. And a text from Kiba which pronounced,_ "Welcome to the club!",_ whatever that meant.

"It was buzzing something awful earlier," he said, sweeping the car into her driveway.

"Yeah, I'll take care of it," she pulled her wallet from her bag. "How much do I owe you for gas? That was quite a trip. And don't you dare say I don't owe you anything. I can take care of myself."

He raised his hands. "Your money's no good to me, Sakura. I consider it an honour you permitted me to help you. Think of it as me working off my debt to you."

She looked at him critically, but was distracted as she caught sight of Ino opening the front door and rushing down the steps, her face deadly serious. And shocked, too, Sakura thought, when she caught sight of the vehicle.

"Itachi?" Ino spoke cautiously.

"Good afternoon, Ino," he replied. He glanced back at Sakura. "You okay?"

"Fine. Thanks for the ride," she stepped out and yanked on her bag, but Ino took it from her immediately.

Sakura glanced at Ino—she normally wasn't so furtive. Yet she'd barely said a word. She felt her brow furrow with curiosity.

Itachi drew her attention back to him as he put the car in gear again.

"You're welcome, anytime. I mean it. Any time you need to talk, Sakura, I'm around."

She nodded and waved, feeling Ino's burning eyes on her profile.

He gave her one last once over, nodded to Ino, and then drove off in the direction of his apartment, if Sakura's sense of direction was correct.

Sakura whipped around to ask Ino what the Hell was going on, but the blond girl was already dragging her into the house.

"I let myself in, it's just us, and I need you to get inside right now," commanded Ino in a no-nonsense tone.

Folding her arms, Sakura followed her.

Ino locked the door behind them.

* * *

It was a long, difficult afternoon.

"He cares, Sakura," Ino reached out and tucked some of Sakura's hair behind her ear.

They were seated at Sakura's kitchen table with bottles of water and a plate of cookies between them, the sun outside sinking down and shadows growing longer behind them. Sakura had dutifully taken the pill Ino had shoved at her with the glass of water, trusting Ino implicitly when she was so serious. Some friends were worth their weight in platinum, and Ino was one of them. Shit, she could cope like a boss. She was a bit meh on the day-to-day humdrum, though—or so she let on.

Through the afternoon, Ino had relayed her conversation and understanding of Sasuke's message, and waited as Sakura digested the information.

"I know he cares for me, Ino. He loves me," Sakura answered, her eyes hurt and dim.

"What happened? Sakura, no, no looking away. Look at me, hon. You aren't the type to run from things that scare or hurt you; and since we both know Sasuke thinks the world of you, I'm just… a bit lost," Ino tried for diplomacy. Reaching out, she put her hand over Sakura's and squeezed it supportively. She tried for levity when Sakura didn't smile back. "Was he a Three Minute Miracle Man?" she stage-whispered. "You need to forgive him for that, Sakura—he was a virgin, too, you know."

"No, Ino!" exclaimed Sakura, closing her eyes tightly in frustration. "No, no, he was… he was…" Tears streamed down her face again and she hid behind her hands, tissues crumpled and forgotten.

Ino waited as Sakura regained her composure. She scooched her chair closer to Sakura's and rubbed her back.

"He was _there_. He was completely there, in the moment. It was amazing. I couldn't have asked for better; it's just, I thought he was staying for university, you know? He didn't once tell me he was still planning on going away. He let me believe he was in love with me and that we were going somewhere, and now it feels like he used me to get his virginity out of the way before he goes off to some fancy business far away and we never see each other again! I mean, who does that!"

Ino made a sympathetic noise, and gave Sakura a one-armed hug. "Sak, I think you're right, he does love you. I think he didn't communicate his future plans with you very well, and I think, yes, he did it for selfish reasons because he wanted to show you how much he loved you. Yes, he should have told you—especially with how much this affects your feelings—but I don't think he did it out of malice. Selfishness, yes—Sasuke can do selfish really well, the spoiled pissant. But this is his loss, not yours. You care about him so much it makes the rest of us jealous. Especially his friends. Trust me, I've heard them all talk about how jealous they are of Sasuke because they see how much you genuinely care about him. So instead of beating yourself up, how about we make plans for tonight? Girls night in. Wouldn't that make you feel better?"

"Thank you, Ino."

Reaching her arms around her best friend, Ino smiled as Sakura hugged her back. "Anytime. Best friends forever, am I right?"

Chuckling, Sakura nodded. "Tru dat."

A few quiet minutes later, Sakura looked up. "Ino?"

"Yeah?"

"That was Plan B, wasn't it?"

Ino nodded.

"Oh shit," Sakura whispered, her face falling into her folded hands.

Ino squeezed Sakura's shoulder.

* * *

**TBC. **

**AN:** Last chapter up next!

**AN-2, son of AN:** Also, this chapter is going up early for you (yay!) because I'll be out of the country, visiting the amazing uchiha.s on her homeground over the next few days (even more yay!). As such, the very last chapter of "Forest Fire", Chapter 20, may not be posted until closer to the end of the month. (Sorry!)


	20. Chapter 20

**Forest Fire 20**

_(Months ago, in the early spring)_

_She had smelled different, this time._

_Madara tilted his head to the side, breathing deeply of the recycled air that was pumped into his rooms at the facility. There was a change in Mikoto's perfume. It was most youthful._

_How strange. Perhaps she was having a midlife crisis? He heard those were most popular._

_He wondered how it would affect her. She had definitely seemed distracted, and had been showing Fugaku pictures of their son on her phone that morning, just as they arrived. Something about adjusting the light to get the photo of him just right._

_Perhaps she was feeling old now that her youngest was leaving the nest. _

_He would watch and wait._

* * *

(Current time, June)

"I just wonder sometimes."

"Itachi is not gay, Mikoto," said Fugaku, slipping their key card through the reader and stepping through the automatic sliding door into the secure ward.

"But to look at those ah, 'creative' friends of his… I'm fine with it, if he is. And he's never brought anyone home. His younger brother is showing more 'settling down' signs than he is," Mikoto fretted, handing over her designer handbag to the attendant, Rosie, seated behind the desk. Rosie nodded and handed a small ticket back to Mikoto who smiled and accepted it.

"Any hints on how he's doing today?" she asked Rosie.

"He's been having a quiet spell since we separated him from the other guests. And the teddy bear and warm milk before bed have made him far more agreeable," said Rosie.

"'Guests'?" muttered Fugaku under his breath, but left it at that when his wife squeezed his arm.

"That's wonderful news."

"We do, as always, urge you to be cautious and vigilant during your visit."

"Thank you, Rosie," said Mikoto and Fugaku inclined his head in a respectful nod as he passed, too.

"I think Itachi just needs to come out of his shell a little more," Mikoto insisted as they made their way down the sterile corridor, their soft-soled, lace-less visitor shoes making faint squeaks on the linoleum.

"I don't think Itachi is as lost as you believe. I think he's been focused on school and waiting for the right moment to approach someone specific. He's organized and knows what he wants. Sometimes we need to wait for him to reveal things to us, now. He's not a child anymore. He doesn't need our approval. We also haven't helped matters by making him come home nearly every weekend over the last six months."

"To prevent us from becoming grandparents," said Mikoto, wistful.

"Sasuke is responsible enough, and so is Sakura, but having an authority figure around is necessary, for everyone. I know you see her as a daughter already, Mikoto, but this is their relationship. Hugging our children is one thing, but please remember that Sasuke hasn't proposed—I hope," he gave her a stern look; she feigned innocence. "So hugging Sakura so familiarly may give the wrong impression. I like the girl," he said at her look of consternation. "But look at where we are; we can't risk her personally getting closer to the family than she already is. It's dangerous. For her. Itachi's old enough to understand this, and I think that's why he's not pushing the dating issue. He doesn't want this for that special person, the one he's waiting for, if he can help it."

"But not a single girl since he was a little boy?"

Fugaku smirked. "I'm sure there have been girls, I just think he's been discreet," he said, a shine in his eye. "I don't think any were serious enough to keep his attention."

"I hope so. He's such a focused young man," she said as they beeped their key pass through another check point. "He needs to learn to relax and lean on someone who cares about him. To unleash a bit, you know?"

She looked at her husband sharply at his choked burst of laughter.

"Be careful what you wish for," was all he said.

"What do you know that I don't?"

"We're here."

They signed the visitor log again—immediately beneath their own names.

"Have a safe visit," said the white-haired security guard.

"Thank you, Kabuto," said Mikoto.

The reinforced Plexiglas and steel door unlocked with a thud and slid open at the press of a green plastic button, inches from the fire engine red Emergency Lockdown lever bolted into the wall.

The frigid, distilled air washed over Mikoto like a tide of doubt. Feeling a shimmy of apprehension down her spine, Mikoto hesitated on the threshold. There he was, sitting as he always was.

_But his eyes._

Fugaku slipped his warm hand through hers to brush her fingertips before folding her arm into the crook of his elbow and giving it a quick squeeze.

Summoning her strength of will and drawing from her husband's support, she smiled brightly at the patient inside.

"Good afternoon, Madara. How are you today?"

* * *

Back in Konoha, Ino stayed overnight with Sakura, even going so far as to join her the next morning for a run.

"At the ass crack of dawn, Forehead? You're sick," spat Ino.

"I'm fit. Now stop complaining, you're breaking stride."

"We're getting closer to Starbucks, right? They have a bagel and a venti triple mocha with caramel sauce with my name on it."

"And skim, right?"

"Obviously. Look at this temple!" gasped Ino indignantly, gesturing at her physique.

"Hurry up, I wanna make this light," said Sakura, spotting the pedestrian lights at the intersection over the hill.

"Oh, I am so killing you for this if I live through it.."

"You'll have to catch me first," grinned Sakura, taking the lead.

It wasn't long before they reached the corner coffee shop, ordered and made their way to the outdoor patio, dabbled with the early rays of sunlight and a number of empty cast iron bistro tables and chairs. They arranged a table and chairs to their liking before settling in.

"Did you ever find out what was going on between Itachi and Sasuke?"

"No," replied Sakura, dunking her tea bag in her cup. "It could just be general family tension, what with their parents not being around much anymore to sort of even things out between them. I mean, Sasuke's about to leave the nest, Itachi's about to move even further ahead with his career now that he's half way through his PhD. Maybe they're both just looking to be more independent? Itachi's been the chaperon for the last few months and I guess I got too comfortable with him and started treating him like a peer instead of… whatever he really is."

"A giant dick?"

Sakura's lips thinned and she nodded once. "Something like that. But it was so out of character for him, though, ya know, looking back on it. It doesn't make sense, Ino. Maybe something else is going on."

"Don't make excuses for him, Sakura," said Ino around a mouthful of cream cheese-laden bagel.

"I'm not—not really. It's just, I know there's been something going on with their family. That's why Itachi's been around so much. I think maybe it has something to do with why their parents are busy and away pretty much every single weekend. They have barely even made the Society pages since Christmas."

Ino gave a slow, considering nod. "Now that you mention it, yeah. So, what's going on?"

Sakura looked around, biting her lip. "This doesn't go beyond us. I mean it."

"Oooh, a big juicy secret?" Ino teased, sipping her coffee.

Sakura flushed. "Ino, please…"

Raising her arm in a gentle wave, Ino relented. "Sorry. You know I know how to keep things close."

Biting her lip again, Sakura leaned closer. "It's their family. There's… Gods, Ino. I mean it!" She snapped, when Ino bounced eagerly in her seat.

"Okay! I promise!"

Sakura's knuckles went white as they gripped her cup. "They have a relative who's in a special facility, a mental health security ward. Apparently he's really dangerous. The rest of their family pretend he doesn't exist. He has some kind of fascination with the clan becoming stronger. He… he tried to kill Sasuke when Sasuke was a little baby. That's when they sealed him away and had him committed. It's a big family secret."

"Holy shit," Ino said, her half-chewed bagel peeking from her gaping mouth.

"Yeah. I think Itachi had something to do with stopping him—no, I don't know the whole story," she said when Ino opened her mouth to ask questions. "It was something Sasuke mentioned in passing, about his parents being away to visit him, and Itachi had confirmed it when I asked him about it one night when I was at their place helping him unload groceries. Itachi was old enough at the time, so he still remembers. Their parents go visit this guy every weekend now; I was getting the impression it was because things were getting worse at this asylum."

Sakure paused to look at the table a moment before her voice quieted and she looked at her best friend again. "They were making sure Sasuke was never alone, Ino. I think Itachi is there not as a chaperon, but as a guard."

Ino's face scrunched up. "Have they ever said this? That's a bit of a jump, Sak."

"No, just a feeling I have. I checked around online, and found some mentions in the paper, the old Society pages, about the Uchiha family's baby being hurt but recovering well at home."

"That's pretty messed up."

"I don't think they told Sasuke the full story. Itachi changes the subject when I bring it up."

"So Itachi knows you know?"

"Part of it. Yeah."

"Geez."

Looking down at her tea, Sakura nodded. "It makes this… a bit more complicated. But I'd begun to think that was why Itachi was hanging around."

The young women were both quiet a moment, considering, before Ino squeezed Sakura's hand in support.

"So," Ino said a few minutes later, dabbing at her brow with a napkin as they sat at the outdoor patio. "Speak of the sex-god-devil; did you want me to stick around for your inevitable call with Sasuke?"

Sakura swirled her green tea around in her cup. She didn't normally indulge in expensive tea, or eating out in general, but it was Ino's treat.

"It's okay. I panicked and ran. I need to suck it up for skipping out on the whole situation." She bit her lip and raised her eyes to Ino's deep blue ones. "Maybe be ready for backup?"

"Obviously." Ino sipped her coffee, accepting the change in subject easily. "Just to warn you, though, expect him to be mad. And frustrated. And hurt. Which will only make him madder."

"Anything else?"

"Anything else you want to tell him?"

Sakura halted at Ino's tone. "What do you mean?"

Ino sipped her coffee again before answering.

"I mean, perhaps, about Sasuke's sexy older brother—whose shoulder you cried and slept on on the drive to the beach house—dropping you off on your doorstep, when Sasuke said you'd left in a cab." Ino's blue eyes pierced Sakura with deadly accuracy. "Especially after what you said Itachi said to you in their kitchen. There's something about _the whole picture _which isn't adding up."

Sakura's heartbeat stilled. Her colour drained from her face and neck, leaving her pale as a ghost. Then she blushed furiously, her eyes going wide.

Alarmed, Ino grabbed for Sakura as she swayed in her seat.

"I knew it. Damnit. What is going on, Sakura?" Ino put her coffee on the cast iron bistro table and rubbed Sakura's back, smoothing her hair back. "Breathe, Sakura. It's just me."

"I th-think… I think Itachi…"

"Yes?"

"I think… Itachi lashed out at me because I slept with Sasuke," Sakura whispered, her hands going to her mouth.

Ino's brow furrowed and she glanced around, noting patrons filling the nearby tables as the morning rush began to arrive. "Well, that's not really his business. You and Sasuke have a mature, consensual relationship—."

"No," Sakura shook her head. "Ino, there's something I forgot to tell you. Something I found in Itachi's room."

* * *

Comfortably ensconced in his apartment's kitchen, Itachi heard the faint chime from his laptop at the table. He set aside the pot of soup on the stove, gently tapping the spoon on the side. The fragrant miso and sliced green onions were nearly ready, he just needed to add the tofu.

When he leaned over the table, he noted the e-mail from Yuji and smiled softly, clicking it open.

There was one word in the subject line, and it made Itachi's throat close.

"_Sakura." _

There were many attachments.

One by one Itachi went through them, stopping longest at the photo of Sakura amidst the garden blossoms.

"My goddess," he whispered, reaching out to touch the screen. Yuji had captured everything about her innocence in the beautiful image. He stood entranced until he remembered his soup and hastened back to the stove. He made sure to turn the laptop so it faced him, though, and set the photos to slideshow.

He finished the miso soup and sat down to the table, leaving his favourite photo up as he ate. There was much to think about.

Sasuke would be returning that evening. There would no doubt be talk between them, then.

Itachi did not look forward to it.

He was setting his bowl in the sink to wash when his cell phone rang. With a quick wipe of the cloth, he reached and answered.

"Hello, Itachi speaking. Father?" Asked Itachi, surprised. Usually it was their mother who called.

"It's your mother. And your uncle. You need to come home, now."

"Is she-?" Itachi's hand calmly fingered the necklace he wore at his throat; his mother had given it to him, years ago. He never took it off.

"She'll be fine, but she's a bit shaken up. I haven't been able to reach Sasuke; when is he coming home?"

"This evening," answered Itachi automatically.

"Well why isn't he answering his phone?" Fugaku huffed in irritation. Itachi could easily imagine his father running a hand through his hair, frustrated that his son was MIA while his wife was…

Itachi's mind blanked.

"He and Sakura had a disagreement of some sort; he may not have his phone on," explained Itachi, trying to defend Sasuke's actions. "I will keep trying him for you."

"Good, just come home. Thank you, Itachi," sighed Fugaku.

"I will be home shortly," promised Itachi.

At the sound of his father disconnecting, Itachi set down his phone.

So, Madara had started moving again.

Itachi closed his eyes. He had to prepare.

When he opened them again, his laptop screen was as bright as ever; Sakura was still smiling innocently in the garden.

* * *

In the back seat of the hired car, Sasuke sipped at his bottled water, praying once more to the hangover gods for relief. In the front seat, the driver made the journey back from the beach house to Konoha. Where she was. He was going to see Naruto first, to give him back all the ridiculous shit he'd forgotten, and maybe see if he'd spoken to Sakura. And then, then he would go see Sakura. And spend as long as it took to fix everything.

And then find out from Ino what he owed her. But that was pretty far down on the list.

First and foremost, he needed to clear this hangover.

Aching and sick, Sasuke let his head roll back gently against the leather seat. How did Naruto and Kiba survive this feeling, every weekend?

_Oh yeah. They didn't tend to have their hearts ripped out at the same time._ Sasuke scowled.

Every ounce of alcohol he hadn't drunk when he had had company at the beach villa, he'd consumed with a vengeance last night, after Sakura had left.

Abandoned him. Alone.

_I'm lucky I didn't give myself alcohol poisoning,_ he mused, eyes closed.

"…_showing her how much you care for her and her wellbeing beforehand will work wonders for both of you, and especially for your relationship. If you want it to last past this summer, just… pay attention to her, okay?"_

Ino's words rang in his head again and again, and Sasuke wanted to shake the blonde and demand to know where he'd gone so wrong that he'd driven his Sakura away. He felt sick with confusion and shame and guilt and anger and a maelstrom of other emotions he couldn't figure out or understand.

He'd been honest. He'd loved her, made love to her, wanted to spend every minute with her; and somehow they'd… they'd fallen apart.

And she had run from him.

She had run away from him.

_After he…_

Sasuke swallowed and rubbed at the tightness in his chest again. Then at his temples and eyes.

They would work it out. They had to. He was leaving at the end of the summer; they had to work this out before then.

Deciding to risk reaching out to Sakura again now that he was sober—Sasuke winced at the memory of the barrage of texts he had hailed upon Sakura's and Ino's phones the night before—he pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it on.

Immediately the smartphone lit up with dozens of missed messages, texts, and voicemails.

Brows furrowing, Sasuke looked at the call history and saw most were from his family, specifically his father.

He started pulling up the voicemailbox (full), before the battery light blinked at him. He winced.

"Is there a USB port back here?" he buzzed the driver.

"Sorry, not in this one. I can plug it in for you up front, if you want?"

"In a few minutes. Thank you," Sasuke said, closing the communication.

Deciding to chance a call, he hit Return Call on his father's number, and waited.

"Father?"

"It's Itachi."

Sasuke's back tightened painfully. He had a lot to speak to his brother about, too.

"Where's Dad?"

"With Mom. Sasuke, how soon can you get to Konoha General?"

"What happened?"

"This isn't a secure line, Sasuke," reminded Itachi, still calm.

"How long until we reach Konoha?" Sasuke buzzed the driver again, jamming his finger on the intercom button.

"Less than two hours, sir."

"Could you redirect us to Konoha General?"

"Yes sir, in about two and a quarter hours."

"Perfect, thank you."

"Did you catch that?" Sasuke asked his brother, the phone mashed against his ear.

"Yes. Message us when you get here. We'll buzz you in. Have the driver return your things to the main house in the meantime."

"Right," said Sasuke, dazed. "Itachi, is she—."

"She will be fine. We'll see you then."

"No, I meant—"

But Itachi had already hung up.

Sasuke's phone beeped at him again, warning him its battery life was about to expire. Anxiety settled like a heavy winter blanket around Sasuke's shoulders as he handed his phone to the driver, feeling vulnerable.

What he wanted most was to call Sakura and ask her to meet him there.

* * *

"Unavailable again?"

Sakura sighed. That was the fifth time she'd tried Sasuke.

Her friends were hungover. Ino had gone home. Her parents were still abroad.

… and now even school was done.

Being home on her own hadn't really bothered her before; and now she realised that it was because she hadn't had much time entirely to herself for the past six or seven months. She was either at work, at school, or with Sasuke and their friends. At Sasuke's home, Mikoto or Fugaku were usually around, or had company, or on weekends Itachi was there. This past weekend, all their friends had been gathered together.

Now, with no one around and nothing to do for the afternoon, Sakura had no one to call, or text, or help cook supper with.

It was terribly quiet.

She looked around her family's little home, and her eyes landed on the volunteer uniform she wore to the hospital.

"Of course we could use a hand!" gushed one of the nurses when Sakura called. "How long do you think you'll be able to stay?"

"A few hours, if that's okay? Maybe through until early evening?"

"Oh perfect! So many of our regular volunteers left for the summer, so this is such a help to us, Sakura dear. Come on over and sign in, I'll make sure we have your name on the ward-list with security."

"Thank you, I'll be there soon," said Sakura, already smiling.

"We'll see you then!"

Horizons brightening, Sakura nipped to the bathroom to brush her teeth before neatly packing her uniform into her knapsack. With a little grin, she remembered to tuck in a package of new fuzzy stickers she'd picked up from the dollar store the week before, then zipped the bag shut and hopped on her bike.

Half an hour later she was changed and holding her arms open wide for the children of the Special Care ward to jump into. One after another, their little heads popped up like gophers and big grins spread across their faces.

"Sakura!"

The first half dozen young arms wrapped around her waist and neck gleefully as they hopped and hobbled to her. Her day was definitely brightening up.

* * *

As suppertime came and went, Sakura gave hugs to each of the children she'd worked with that day before passing by the nurses' station.

"I'm on my way… out…" Her lips folded into her mouth as she realized the nurses were in a meeting with one of the hospital directors. They went silent and watched her with dark expressions. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Sakura. We'll see you again soon," said one of the nurses who'd worked there longest.

"Sorry to interrupt," Sakura repeated, ducking past them. Her cheeks burned and she nodded her head, scurrying away.

Just as she turned towards the elevator, she heard some of the gossip reach her. "… usually comes with that handsome dark-haired boy… Yes, the one in the recovery unit…"

Sakura's feet squeaked to a stop just beyond the corner, her ears catching the last bits of the nurses' talk.

"… family member… no press… Quiet… Such a shame…"

Swallowing hard, she forced her feet to move again.

She was jogging—no running in the halls—to the Admittance and Reception desk, her phone already pulled from her pocket.

* * *

"I know, but could you please check again? I'm sorry to be a pain, but I'm sure that one of my friends from the Uchiha family checked in. Maybe I-Itachi, or, or," Sakura swallowed, "Sasuke?"

"I'm sorry, miss, I know I see you here often helping the young ones, but you aren't staff or a direct family member. I can't release any information to you at this time," said the balding, middle aged man at the counter. "I'm really sorry. Perhaps if you contact them directly, they can provide you with more information."

Biting her teeth, hard, Sakura threw her hands down in frustration.

"I'm trying!" _They aren't replying,_ she wanted to scream at him, her eyes filling.

"Sakura?"

She whirled around on her heel, her ponytail loose and whipping around her.

"Itachi? Oh, thank god you're okay!" She said, running to him and instinctively grabbing for his arm—before skidding to a halt, and realizing that this was Itachi, not Sasuke. _If Itachi was here…_

_Calm down, girl._

"Sorry, I just… I heard that someone from your family was here. I wasn't able to reach Sasuke to check and, then when I saw you I just…" She bit her lip, stifled her sniffles and glanced up at him again. That was when she noted his sunken eyes, his strained, gaunt expression.

"Itachi?" Her voice caught in her throat.

"Sasuke is fine, he just arrived. He probably hasn't checked his phone yet," said Itachi. "Perhaps we could move to one of the waiting rooms? I just came down to get some coffee."

"You don't drink coffee, only tea," Sakura said, confused.

"Today is a coffee day," he said quietly, and gestured towards the cafeteria. "Let's get a drink, I'll take you up."

"Thank you."

"You're always welcome, Sakura." He touched her elbow gently, and she followed him to the caf.

"Our mother and father were visiting a relative; unfortunately, the relative became… confused… and lashed out at our mother, mistaking her for someone else. She will be fine, but she banged her head and needed some stitches. She is here overnight for observation," explained Itachi, once they had taken seats in a more secluded corner of the cafeteria.

"Oh Itachi, I'm so sorry she was hurt. Mikoto is like a second mom to me. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Itachi's smile was faint, barely there, yet present nonetheless. He shook his head. "I think she is only here at Father's insistence," he said with his low, smooth voice. "She may enjoy a visit, though—and your support if you can help her convince Father to let her out sooner. She finds this is too much fuss for her. She's already trying to convince the nurses to redecorate."

Sakura cracked a grin at that. "She'll have them mobilized before she's released. Your mom's a force, Itachi."

Itachi smiled and his shoulders relaxed a bit. "This I do not dispute."

"I'm glad to hear it was nothing too serious," Sakura said, smiling back. She turned her cup around on the table once, twice. "I hope no one else… that is, was the other family member hurt?"

Itachi's shoulders tensed again, and Sakura could have kicked herself.

"Not as far as I know. Thank you for asking," he said, very still.

Nibbling her lip—she was going to need to pick up some intense lip therapy balm from Ino by the end of the week if she kept up this nervous habit—Sakura nodded and smiled back tightly.

"Think we should get the rest of the coffees to go?"

"Yes. Are you available to visit?"

"Absolutely! Er, if that's okay with the rest of your family, that is."

Itachi nodded. "You are welcome."

The awkwardness from Sakura's question wore off as they collected the tray of coffee to take back to Mikoto's room, and Sakura and Itachi eased back into small talk about his classes and her pending university plans for the fall.

"A busy courseload," Itachi said as the elevator door swooshed open in front of them when they reached Uchiha Mikoto's recovery floor.

Sakura tilted her head to the side to look up at him, and shook it slightly. "I've looked at the course outlines online, and the assignment lists; it didn't look too bad to me. I may need to cut down on my volunteer hours here, though, which—"

"Sakura?"

She nearly tripped, and if not for Itachi's quick reflexes would have probably ended up laid out on the floor in her wrinkled uniform. He steadied her and held on to her elbow until she straightened to look at Sasuke, watching her wide-eyed and pale.

She swallowed.

"Hey. I… I came. I heard your mom was… here."

Her mouth was dry, and she licked her chapped lips, biting them on the inside yet again. "Is it okay if I visit?"

He stared at her, unmoving, disbelieving.

"Sasuke?" Itachi stepped forward, and slightly in front of Sakura, partially blocking her from his brother's view.

Turning to look at his brother, Sakura watched Sasuke's face harden.

"Come in. She would be happy to see you," he said at last. He turned and re-entered his mother's hospital room; his words had been for her, but he had not looked her in the eyes once.

* * *

It was dark when Sakura finally dragged her feet to her bicycle, still locked to the rack by the employee entrance.

"I can give you a ride home, or walk with you?" offered Sasuke, quietly, from beside her. His dark eyes were circled and sunken in his cheeks, his colouring grim and drawn. His hands hung limply at his sides instead of tucked into his pockets.

Swallowing a yawn, Sakura smiled a bit at him. "You're asleep on your feet, Sasuke. I can make it home on my own."

He looked at her shoulder as she lifted her helmet and snapped it in place under her chin.

She heard him swallow and clear his throat.

His sneaker made a scuffing noise as he shifted on his feet.

"Hm?" Sakura leaned towards him to try and catch his eye. His eyes were unfocused, however, and now stared down at his feet.

Heart pulling at the sight of Sasuke's despondence, Sakura's shoulders drooped. Her bike unlocked, she let it lean against her legs as she held the bars with one hand, and reached for Sasuke with the other.

"Hey," she said softly, touching his chest with gentle fingertips. His eyes shifted slightly, to look at her fingers.

"Hn?"

She let out a breath, smiling faintly. Letting the bike go and relieved when it didn't tumble to the ground in a heap, she reached her other hand up and took his phone from his pocket. "I feel like walking. Give me a second to let your family know you're taking me home and that we'll see them tomorrow."

"Hn."

Text sent, she tucked his phone away in his pocket again. As she withdrew her hand, he took it in his. Sakura managed her bike rolling alongside her, while Sasuke didn't let go the whole way to her home.

Sakura pushed him into her shower when she got home, and pulled him out again after ten minutes or so when he just stood there under the waterfall and steam. She towelled him dry, gave him a pair of clean shorts to wear, and toppled him into her bed. After a quick tidy of her own self, she slid in beside him in a camisole and, after a moment of deliberation, a pair of panties.

Hearing Sasuke's even breathing, Sakura assumed he was asleep; but just as she was about to drop off, she felt him run his fingers over the nape of her neck and down each knob of her spine.

"Will you still be here when I wake up?" he asked, his voice raw.

"Yes."

"… Promise?"

Sakura nodded.

His arms folded around her, pulling her close. He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in.

"You won't ever leave me for Itachi, will you, Sakura?"

But she was already asleep.

* * *

Sasuke woke up wrapped in Sakura's arms, her pink head on his shoulder, and somehow—he told himself he was warped to find this adorable—her drool on his pectorals. He wished he could reach his phone to take her picture, but decided instead to carefully run his hands through her hair before lying back for another forty winks. Hearing her breaths in her sleep reassured him, and he drifted off again quickly.

His sleep was interrupted again when Sakura returned to the bed a bit later, biting her lip apologetically.

"Sorry. Had to pee."

"S'okay," he mumbled, reaching for her. The blankets rustled around them before he drew them up around their shoulders again, trapping them both in their warmth and her scent once more. A part of him was acknowledging that this place, in her arms and in her bed, was the absolute most perfect place on Earth.

"Cuddles?" Sakura asked a moment later, hopeful.

"Cuddles," he agreed, pulling her close again.

"I like this," Sakura said, snuggling in close.

"Hn," he agreed, happy only when she was settled against him once more.

"I love you," she murmured against his shoulder.

"I love you, too," he whispered, stroking her hair.

Dozy, Sakura catnapped on Sasuke's shoulder through a good part of the morning, and he was happy to let her do so. Around 10:30 or so, he texted his parents, asking about his mother's condition (due to be released early that afternoon), and to let them know he was still at Sakura's, and would see them that evening. Though the texts were coming from his father's phone, Sasuke suspected it was his brother replying. The quick initial reply, and then the delayed response when he informed them of where he was… he was sure it was Itachi.

That afternoon they shared lunch in Sakura's kitchen.

"Ino doesn't think there'll be any… consequences," said Sakura, glancing up from her soup at Sasuke. The dismal weather had continued, the skies overcast and heavy with rain outside. It was dark enough in her kitchen that she had turned the lights on as they cooked and ate.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured. "I was going to tell you right away, then…" He sighed, rubbing at his hair.

"Everything happened," added Sakura quietly, warming her hands around her bowl. Sitting side by side, she nudged him gently, affectionately. "I'm sorry, too, Sasuke."

They were quiet a moment, reflecting.

Sasuke swallowed and let his hands settle on the table top.

"You said something about pictures, and my brother. When you—when we—afterwards, as you fell asleep," he said. He scowled, hating how hard it was to say the words. "You said he drew pictures of you."

He watched Sakura's complexion pale as she stilled, then nodded.

"He doesn't draw people, Sakura. He draws landscapes. Trees. Usually for our mother," explained Sasuke.

This time Sakura swallowed before carefully shaking her head 'no'.

"Why do you think…" Sasuke struggled to make the right words come out of his mouth. _Don't accuse her of anything. _He sighed, frowning.

"He has a sketchbook of pictures of me," Sakura said quietly, breaking his concentration and internal debate.

"Was he the one to draw them? Or was it someone else's?"

She arched her brow at him, disbelieving. "You think he just happened to have accidentally signed a sketch of me in someone else's sketchbook, then left the sketchbook in his satchel, in his room, under his desk, at your family's beach villa, for me to accidentally find when he told me to go look in his bag, in his room, for another book that was right beside it? Really, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's fist clenched around his cup. "He wanted you to find it?"

Sakura paused, unsure. "I—I think so."

Flames licked at Sasuke's heart, burning him, as he quietly asked, "What kinds of pictures, Sakura?"

"Yuji saw them, too. Sketches. All kinds of them. Apparently Kisame's kids are aware of them—I… I didn't want to invade his privacy. I put them back when I realized what they were."

"Were you naked?"

"Sasuke!"

"I said, _were you naked!"_

"_Yes!"_ Sakura frowned and her eyes turned downward, embarrassed. "I think they were tasteful, from what I saw, but for a few of them, yes."

Of course they'd be tasteful, this was Uchiha Itachi. Heir. Academic. Apogée of the Uchiha.

_Poacher, _Sasuke mentally spat. His vision went red, and he felt fury flood his veins.

"I'm going to kill him," snarled Sasuke, shoving back from the table and ripping his phone from his pocket.

"No Sasuke, come on," Sakura called, chasing after him.

"I need a driver or car, immediately, to this location," he said into his phone, sending a copy of Sakura's address by secured message to his family's chauffeur team.

"Please don't do this right now, I just want to talk with—"

"We'll talk when I'm done with him," promised Sasuke darkly.

"You sound like some kind of avenger, Sasuke! I'm not defending him, but please don't do this now, not with your mother coming home from the hospital and—"

"Sakura, if he calls here, or comes here before I get back, don't answer him. Ignore him," ordered Sasuke.

He grabbed his few things and shoved them into his bag just as the doorbell rang downstairs.

"I'll see you later," he said, straightening and rushing down to the front door.

"Please, Sasuke, don't leave like this," begged Sakura, grabbing his sleeve as he opened the front door. "And I can look after myself. Could we sort things out first before you run out the door? Don't go!"

He looked hard into her eyes. "At least I let you know I was going," he said quietly.

Staggering to a stop, Sakura stood in front of him, mouth open, tears dotting her cheeks. An ounce of regret stole through him; he wasn't mad at her. He shouldn't take it out on her. Contrite, he kissed her quickly on the mouth to reassure her.

"I'll come back to you," he vowed.

* * *

When Fugaku heard the garage door slam open and closed, he sighed.

"He's probably just worked up over something again," said Mikoto from her recliner, squeezing his hand. "You know he runs a bit hotter in the head than Itachi does."

"You'd think he'd show a hint of consideration for you and your condition-," he grumbled, standing.

"What condition!" she exclaimed, frustrated, before she laughed. "I swear, you're taking this scrape harder than I am, Fugaku. Tell him to come see me, and I'll see what it is."

"Itachi," called Fugaku instead, peeking into the hallway by their living room. "Would you let Sasuke know he needs to show some respect and close doors like a gentleman? His poor mother is—"

"Ready to rip a few new ones if she keeps being treated like an invalid!" sang Mikoto.

"—trying to rest," continued Fugaku, ignoring his wife's interruption. Then he turned to look back at her a second. "Where did you learn language like that? Is that where Sasuke learned it from?"

She smirked.

Itachi nodded and passed on his way by with a small wave. "Of course."

"Thank you," said Fugaku, who then returned to his wife. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Fugaku frowned and shook his head. "Fine, we can go for a walk later, if you feel up to it."

Mikoto smiled widely, which brought out a small grin in Fugaku in return.

"Excellent! Perhaps the boys will join us. We haven't gone for a family walk in-."

A sudden thump downstairs, followed by Sasuke hollering, slightly unhinged, _"You sick bastard!"_ startled the Uchihas.

Then the sounds of a vicious fight breaking out rousted Fugaku from his seat and flying out the door.

Panicking, Mikoto stumbled to her feet in a rush, swaying with light headedness at the swift change from lying down to standing.

Cursing her concussion with language that would no doubt shock her husband—and possibly her children—Mikoto grabbed hold of the nearest piece of furniture and gently made her way to the corridor.

"If they are fighting over their toys again, I swear to all that's holy…" she muttered, remembering the last time the two had tousled with intent. She'd lost several antiques and her temper, nearly a decade before. Her sons had coexisted peacefully since then – or so she'd thought.

A tendril of worry squirmed inside her. The timing couldn't be worse.

_Was it just hormones? _In a way, she hoped so. That could be brushed aside. And the garden needed weeding, so already she had a nice, long, boring physical punishment for them.

Still stumbling along the halls to the kitchen, where she was sure the violence was unfolding, Mikoto heard Fugaku yelling at the boys and trying to pull them apart. Another crash, and Itachi's raised voice convinced her it was not working. Itachi never raised his voice.

Fingers clenched on the doorway to keep her vision from spinning, she heard the yelling escalate. It was serious. What on Earth could have set them off?

She was just reaching the kitchen when she saw Fugaku, his hair loose and dishevelled, dragging a wild Sasuke bodily away from Itachi. Her dark eyes shot open; Itachi who lay on the ground holding his left eye, blood pouring from his nose and split lip.

"Stay the Hell away from Sakura!" snarled Sasuke, chest heaving as he struggled to push past Fugaku. "I'll kill you if I ever see you near her again!"

Makoto's stomach twisted with suspicion and dread.

_So, it fell in the realm of hormones after all._

* * *

"It is still bothering you?"

Mikoto sighed and nodded her head on Fugaku's shoulder as they lay in bed.

"This isn't like either of them."

Fugaku sighed, too. "I think we can guess who it is Itachi's been holding out for."

Mikoto groaned. "Don't make fun, or light, of this. I've never seen either of them so vicious with each other."

"We can be confident it is at least partially true. Itachi wouldn't have sat there and taken a beating like that unless he felt guilty about something he'd done. I wasn't about to ask for details or explanations with both of them in the room," said Fugaku, and reluctantly Mikoto nodded. "For now, Itachi can simmer down at his apartment, and Sasuke can cool off with Sakura. In time, this will resolve itself."

"Will it?" asked Mikoto, thoughtful.

"Hmm?"

"Will Itachi just let go of something he has obviously… well… going by what Sasuke said, obsessed about for some time? Don't give me that look – yes, Sasuke can be dramatic, but he's adored and admired Itachi since he was a day old. And what about poor Sakura in all this?"

Fugaku sighed again. "We already discussed why Itachi hadn't made a move prior to this on her – I think it's because of Madara. Itachi doesn't trust Madara and didn't want to risk Sakura becoming mixed up in it all. Something must have happened between the three of them this past weekend that pushed Itachi over the edge. He's too careful to make obvious mistakes."

"I just feel like there's something else that's lurking, waiting to happen," said Mikoto tiredly.

"Would you like some more acetaminophen?"

"No, no, I'll be fine. Just thinking too much," she said, smiling ruefully.

"Rest, wife," murmured Fugaku as he kissed her on the cheek. "Tomorrow will come soon enough."

"Hn," she said, a worried frown creasing her brow.

* * *

(Several months later, August)

It was the middle of the night, and Sasuke felt his father's hand roughly shaking him awake.

"Sasuke, wake up," he ordered, and snapped on Sasuke's bedside lamp.

"Hn? Did I miss my alarm?" he asked, groggy and disoriented. There was no way it was six in the morning yet; and he didn't leave until noon to visit Sakura and her family anyway, there was lots of time. Her parents had invited him to join them on their family retreat – two weeks of nothing but Sakura and her family. It was the only time Sakura and her family spent more than a few minutes together. He was quite honoured they'd invited him.

"No. Get up, get changed, and be ready to go in fifteen minutes."

"I'm supposed to be going to Sakura's family—"

"Change in plans. Get ready and meet us downstairs."

Picking up his phone, Sasuke glanced at the time. 3:47am.

He arrived in the kitchen a few minutes later, his go-bag packed with the essentials. He met his mother, father—and Itachi—there, waiting for him.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Itachi for a moment before he looked to his parents. "What's going on?"

"It's best if you sit down, son. The driver will be here soon."

"They're bringing the armoured one, right?" fretted Mikoto, looking up at her husband's stoic face. He nodded once, and she settled again, her hands wringing together on the top of the table.

Sasuke's brows rose.

"We'll discuss some of this in the car, but in short, we are temporarily relocating to a safer place."

"What—no. I'll still be able to leave this afternoon, though." Sasuke felt a bit disoriented, but was confident his family would let him go.

"No."

Sasuke's temper blazed as he took a step towards his father; his mother intervened, speaking softly, calmly.

"You may not remember much of it, Sasuke, but when you were young, you had an uncle who tried to harm you. Itachi stopped him, and the uncle was sent to a special hospital."

"The one you guys visit on the weekends?"

"Yes," said Mikoto, her eyes flashing at Fugaku.

"Over the last six months or so, he has become increasingly unstable and sometime during the night he escaped the facility he was staying in."

"So the police will collect him, right? Why do we need to move around?"

"This is a precautionary measure, Sasuke. We are being proactive and moving to another home, temporarily, until he's apprehended."

"He knows about this house, Sasuke. He's been here before. We can't risk it."

Sasuke looked between his parents. "Then isn't it better that I go with Sakura's family anyway?"

"We can't put them at risk, too, Sasuke. And we can't put a security detail on a civilian family like that. It's best if we leave them out of things, for their own safety."

Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fists, his jaw hard and set.

"So I'm just going to disappear in the night, is that it? Offend Sakura and her whole family? The last time I was meant to see her before I fly to Oto, and now, not even a goodbye?"

"You'll be able to call her later today; we're getting a secure line for Sakura so that you'll still be able to speak. We can deliver it to her if it is ready before she leaves—"

"And if it isn't, we just let her think I've abandoned her!"

"Sasuke! Stop yelling and control yourself."

"Is this really necessary? I mean, this guy's a frootloop, right?"

"He has killed seven people in the last hour, and possibly others we haven't found yet," said Itachi, speaking for the first time since he'd arrived.

Sasuke swung around to look at his brother incredulously.

"And we know he is heading for us here, because for years he has madly proclaimed about being the only true Progenitor of the Uchiha. His only focus, since we were born, has been to kill us," Itachi continued patiently, softly. "So forgive our parents for wanting to ensure we are protected."

"But why now?"

Again, the furtive look between Fugaku and Mikoto. "We're still investigating."

"Does this have something to do with you being hurt, in June? When you went to visit him?" asked Sasuke as he looked at his mother. He could still see the faint pink line of the scar on the side of her head, leading into her hairline. Even though she wore her hair down now, to camouflage it.

For the third time, a look passed between his parents. "We think so, but we aren't completely sure. Your uncle is so disturbed, Sasuke, and of his two main guards, one was killed and the other is missing, so we can't question them to find out more yet. We just don't know what sparked this."

Shoulders tight, Sasuke looked at the ground a moment.

"So that's it?" he asked, disbelieving. "We're giving in to him?"

"We're protecting you now so you have a life to live later," snapped Fugaku. "If Sakura still loves you, she'll wait for you. Now stop these dramatics and go get in the car – they've arrived. Itachi, you too. Until your apartment's secured, you're going."

Itachi nodded once, though tiredly.

"And boys?"

They looked up as Fugaku and Mikoto brought out locked cases for them. "Do NOT use these unless it is an emergency. I know you've had your differences this summer, but you need to bury them, right now, until this is over."

The items were heavily locked, carbon, and resembled briefcases, in a way.

"These are semi-automatic. You've learned to shoot, and we expect them to be used in self-defence only. You will need to account for every single bullet in those cases. They are registered in your mother's name, so anything you do, she takes responsibility for, is that understood? Good."

Sasuke's eyes grew wide and he tried to push the case away. "No—"

"You will take it, and you will keep it within reach at all times until we tell you to give it back_, is that understood?"_ said Mikoto lowly, looking hard into her youngest son's eyes. "Your licenses to carry concealed weapons are enclosed, along with the phone number for the family attorney. She's been apprised of the situation and is on permanent standby until this is resolved."

Sasuke felt the weight of the case in his numb hands, and the warmth of his mother's arms around his shoulders.

"We'll talk to Sakura as soon as we can for you, honey," she whispered in his ear. "It's gonna be okay."

"Everyone, out. We have less than seven minutes before the lock-down system activates," ordered Fugaku, sealing off room after room by a number pad at the door that led to their garage.

With that, Sasuke said goodbye to his family home.

By the time their plane touched down late that afternoon, they'd already received the news that it had been bombed and was still burning following an unconfirmed arson attempt from a masked assailant.

The news troubling their father, however, was the suspicion that the assailant had not been working alone.

"Who would help a mad man?" gasped Mikoto, tears in her eyes as she saw the news coverage. The flames still scorched their home's garage, amidst the wreckage. Tongues snaked up some of the structural walls that stood, while smoke poured from the rest as the firefighters contained it as best they could.

Fugaku put his arms around her and pulled her close, his eyes darting between his sons.

"What's most important is that we're safe," he said, rubbing her back.

* * *

Sakura looked around the train station. She'd waited as long as she could with her family at home, but when Sasuke hadn't shown up, they'd continued on to their seats in the rail car.

There had been no reply to her texts or voicemails or e-mails.

Nothing.

They'd spoken just the night before, confirming all the details. He'd even dropped off some of his luggage with her already, so he'd have less to carry from his home the next day. To show that he truly intended to join her.

"Is he here yet?"

"No Dad," said Sakura, taking a last look around the terminal. There were a few people rushing towards their platforms, but none in their direction. She bit her lip.

"No word from him, Sakura?" asked her mother gently.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but we can't keep waiting, honey."

"I know. It's okay. Maybe he can meet up with us there," she said, forcing a smile. "Something must have come up at home."

They heard a loud whistle, and the doors on all the cars slid shut.

* * *

Sakura's eyes were riveted to the wide plasma screen in the train's hospitality lounge.

On it, a news broadcast showed a large section of the Uchiha Main House garden was engulfed in flame.

"There's been no mention of anyone being left inside, and investigators are hopeful that the family was not at home at the time the fire broke out, earlier this morning," announced the grim reporter.

"This is being treated as a suspicious fire, with deliberate arson involvement," the anchorwoman continued, when the cameraperson panned back to the studio.

"Our hearts go out to the Uchiha family and clan, whom we hope are whole and hale at this time. More updates as the day continues."

Sakura stumbled to the nearest bathroom and vomited.

* * *

The afternoon had dragged into evening, followed by a sleepless night and tenuous morning through afternoon. It had left Sasuke stretched thin and slumped in an overstuffed armchair, staring out the window into the encroaching darkness once more. Haggard and worn, Sasuke looked up at Itachi, who held out an unfamiliar cell phone.

"Your secure line. It is confirmed safe for calls between you, our parents, and myself. Our numbers are already programmed in," said Itachi. "Other phones are on the way to our close friends. If they are in Konoha, they'll be delivered by nightfall there."

_All for naught,_ thought Sasuke, his insides cold. It was too late. Sakura had left the day before to reach the remote camping area her family visited every year. There was no way to contact her. He was tempted to throw the phone at the wall, but thought better of it. Barely.

Instead, he accepted it and dropped it on the seat beside him, then returned to staring out the window. Short of a miracle, there was no way to see Sakura again before he left for Oto, now.

Itachi waited a moment, observing Sasuke, before he turned and left.

* * *

The meeting with his parents was awkward and tense.

"That is ridiculous! The answer is no," said Fugaku, his back ramrod straight as he sat at the desk in the room he shared with his wife.

Itachi considered his words carefully. "I didn't say Sasuke should be the one to do it—but because of her position, Sakura needs a means to guarantee her safety. She has been completely cut off from news of our family and Sasuke since we left Konoha. Has anyone contacted her or her family? What if they heard about the fire before they reached their destination?"

"She'll receive a secure satellite phone as soon as she gets back, Itachi," said Mikoto, leaning towards him and reaching for him. "And then she and Sasuke will be able to—"

"She needs to make it back, first," he countered, eyeing his parents. "Has anyone checked on her family since they left?" he repeated, noting his parents had evaded his question.

Fugaku and Mikoto shared a look, and Itachi waited.

"There's been no contact with them."

He felt tension flood him, pressure building behind his eyes.

He knew the moment his eyes became flinty, hard, as his mother paused, recoiling from him; the way his father shifted and placed himself between Itachi and Mikoto.

"She has no protection, at all?"

The tone of his voice felt cold, sending small shivers down his own spine with its low tone.

"Itachi," began Fugaku, staring down his oldest son, but Itachi was having none of it.

Striding from the room, Itachi stalked through the halls until he found his brother, and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"You know where she is?" he demanded, voice still cold.

"Who—Sakura?"

"Yes."

"Yeah. I have the GPS coordinates—" Sasuke's eyes went round. "Has something happened to her?"

Gods, Itachi prayed not. But he wasn't giving false hope. "Get your bag," he ordered. "Pack essentials only. We'll buy anything extra we need."

"Itachi! Stop right now, you're scaring your brother," commanded Fugaku, his voice rising as his cheeks coloured hotly with anger.

"What's going on?" asked Sasuke, standing now that Itachi had released him. His eyes darted between his parents and brother.

"We're going to find Sakura," said Itachi. "Now."

Sasuke's eyes were riveted on Itachi's tall, imperious figure. For the first time, he realised his brother was taller than their father. Even his shoulders were broader, his control absolute. His authority unassailable.

_This was the Uchiha heir,_ Sasuke realised, somewhat in awe. This was Itachi as he was meant to be.

"You have five minutes," Itachi said to Sasuke, his eyes never leaving their parents'. "Get the spare sat-phone for Sakura."

"Itachi! You're over-reacting. We've had no contact with her, we didn't say that anything was wrong," said Mikoto, softly, her hands raised in a gesture of peace. "Please, let the authorities do their work—"

Sasuke felt a shiver down his spine at his brother's next words.

"No one's looking for her, though, are they?"

Fugaku's jaw clenched.

Sasuke, who had turned and started backing away towards his room, halted and stared at his father.

"You told me someone was going to find her," Sasuke said. It was all that had kept him sane, the last 48 hours; knowing that someone was out looking for Sakura and her family to keep them safe. Sakura was part of their family, too, though unofficially. They had grown up together. She was practically Mikoto's foster-daughter. They had even been photographed together attending special events.

"Our reach extends as far as Konoha's borders. When she got on the train, we were no longer in a position to—"

Itachi grabbed Sasuke as Sasuke launched himself at their father.

"Three minutes," said Itachi softly to Sasuke, finally meeting Sasuke's eyes. "Then we go for her ourselves. Hurry."

Swallowing his confusion and rage, Sasuke stormed to his room, packing his bags like the devil was on his heels. In a way, he was. Itachi was a cold terror when he was like this.

The standoff in the living room continued. "If you leave this place, you're disobeying a direct order from your Clan head, Itachi. Don't drag your brother into this," said Fugaku, his hand clenching at his sides.

"I renege on my duties to the clan, if the clan doesn't see fit to ensure its continuation."

Mikoto's eyes went wide. "Itachi, you can't mean she's—" Her voice caught in her throat, and she grabbed at the back of the nearest chair. "The fight in June, between you and Sasuke. Did one of you—"

Itachi ignored his parents and collected his things from his room. Let them worry and turn themselves in knots; he had more important things to do. Behind him he heard his parents yelling at him, arguing with each other.

"Ready," said Sasuke from the door of Itachi's room. He held up his phone, the screen softly glowing with an old text message. "Her location."

"Hn," said Itachi. His hand stilled as his fingers ran across the cover of his sketchbooks. Did he take them with him, or leave them there?

He closed his eyes a moment.

Screwing his own rules about essentials only—or perhaps, adhering to them in a more personal sense—, Itachi grabbed the messenger bag of sketchpads and hauled it over his shoulder.

"Come on. We drive through the night."

After that, their communication was short and to the point. Answers to direct questions only.

But somehow, during those long house driving in the back-up SUV, Sasuke felt he was closer to his brother than he'd been in a long time. It had something to do with the fact that his brother was finally showing emotion and personal investment in another human being. It was with Itachi's own intents and agenda, not true altruism for Sasuke, of course, but Sasuke finally saw his brother affected and showing initiative for something he wanted. Even, or perhaps especially, because it was for Sakura.

Sasuke stared as his brother in the darkened car as he drove, his eyes occasionally flicking down to verify their progress on the GPS.

"You'd really give up the Clan for her?"

Itachi didn't answer Sasuke right away; after a few minutes, Sasuke wondered if he had perhaps asked too much, too soon.

Then, to his surprise, Itachi's voice, low and somewhat tired, spoke.

"There is no future Clan without her, is there?"

When Itachi looked at Sasuke and met his eyes, Sasuke found he agreed. They had both made their choice.

Sasuke looked away, uncertain how to react to such a direct statement from his brother. "Do you always have to be right?"

Itachi's stoic face faltered before he cracked a tentative grin, his shining eyes back on the road again.

"Hn," he replied, and chuckled at Sasuke's irritated huff.

"You bluffed Mom and Dad into thinking she was pregnant."

"Did I?"

Itachi's bland, innocent tone made Sasuke smother a snicker.

"She's going to be mad at us."

"For making her worry it was true, for misleading her, or for disappointing her when she finds out it is false?"

"Hn." _Good question,_ thought Sasuke.

He watched his brother drive for a few minutes, before turning on the radio, though quietly.

"Do you remember Madara?" he asked Itachi as music filtered through the speakers.

The hint-of-a-grin and relaxed shoulders seeped from Itachi like blood from a wound. "Yes."

"Why did he try to kill me?"

"He thought our parents were inferior individuals and should neither sire nor raise the next 'true' generation of Uchiha."

Sasuke stared at his brother.

"He is insane," reminded Itachi.

Brow furrowing, Sasuke turned to stare out the front windshield at the dark road. "Who did he think should 'sire' the 'true' Uchiha?"

Itachi glanced at him, as if the answer should be obvious.

"Himself."

Sasuke snorted. "Not much good if he's locked up. Who's he going to…" Sasuke's whole body turned in his seat as he shot a look at his brother.

"Sakura."

Itachi nodded.

"That's why we need to find her before he does."

* * *

"What are you doing? Her site's almost a kilometre away," said Sasuke, looking at the map on the GPS while Itachi pulled the car to the side of the road and parked it in an abandoned driveway.

"Hn. We continue on foot."

"But if there's someone there—"

"Then one of us will need to hide and stay while the other goes for help. If they see a car approach, it could panic them and set them off. We watch and wait, first."

Sasuke looked at his brother, then.

"You've given this a lot of thought."

Itachi looked at Sasuke, his eyes red-rimmed with dark bags beneath. He'd done all the driving, refusing to let Sasuke take the wheel. About eighteen hours' worth of driving, remembered Sasuke, after being awake all day previously. Sasuke was taken aback by his brother's endurance; then swallowed his concerns about how much further Itachi could continue without a break.

Nodding his head once, Itachi stepped out of the car, and popped the trunk.

While his brother reached for his semi-automatic case, Sasuke's outstretched hand hesitated.

"Hn?" Sasuke asked.

Shoulders straightening, Itachi nodded once, again, and strapped on the harness that was inside his case, over his clothes, before loading and snapping in the matte black gun.

_If Itachi can do it, you can, too,_ Sasuke told himself and quickly followed his brother's lead.

Armed, with only small, emergency packs strapped to their backs, they struck out down the gravel road after locking the car. The sun was going down again, and without needing to communicate, they shifted their path to walk just inside the tree line.

When they reached the lonely cabin, there were lights shining from the windows. They circled it from all sides. Itachi crouched and held up his hand and Sasuke automatically slowed to a stop, peering around in the darkness. The sun had dipped below the horizon by that point, and they had been careful to avoid dried wood, leaves, and sticks that would have given away their approach.

Itachi leaned close to Sasuke's ear. "Wait, and listen."

It was an age before Itachi nodded to Sasuke and Sasuke moved forward. Itachi tapped him on the back, almost smiling. "Knock on the front door. Put away the gun first," he advised.

_Ah, yeah._ Sasuke nodded, and made sure his shirt covered his gun holster.

Itachi nodded at him, his smile not reaching his eyes, as he waved his brother on.

Sasuke made it a few more feet before he turned back, his brother remaining hidden in the forest. Sasuke's eyes met his brother's, full of questions and indecision.

"She's waiting for you," said Itachi quietly, his voice carrying in the chilly evening air.

Sasuke's heart squeezed.

But he didn't argue.

When he knocked on the door to the cabin, he had to force himself to remain calm.

A moment later, after some hesitant shuffling from inside, the old door creaked open, at first an inch, then thrown wide, light spilling out over the covered porch.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, throwing herself through the door on him. "I knew you'd come!"

* * *

Itachi watched from behind a tree, observing not only Sasuke's reunion with Sakura, but also the surrounding woods. He couldn't shake the nagging prickle of his instincts that things were too quiet.

This deep in the woods, there should have been more night noise; more animals, more bugs, more rustling. There had been some, but it had been slight.

He was distracted when he saw Sakura take Sasuke's face in her hands and kiss him deeply. Their lips met, their eyes closed, and their bodies strained towards each other; Sasuke's hands settling in Sakura's hair and on her hip, drawing her closer.

Half-hidden, Itachi drank Sakura in with his eyes.

_Finally._ It was the first time he'd laid eyes on her since that day he dropped her off at her home, in June, after…

Itachi cut off his jealous, hurt thoughts before they distracted him further.

Before him, Sasuke was gently releasing Sakura, speaking to her in gentle, reassuring tones, indicating some direction down the road with his head.

_The car,_ supposed Itachi. The hair on the back of his neck rose then, as Sasuke turned to look at him and wave him closer; Sakura followed Sasuke's line of sight and found him; then her eyes widened, her mouth opened, and she turned her face a quarter of an inch to the side, and Itachi knew—

"Hello, cousin," breathed a soft, hypnotic voice in Itachi's ear. "Have you missed me?"

Itachi spun on his heel and shot blind.

* * *

When the rangers arrived, followed quickly by the police, the area was cordoned off to prevent media from disturbing the scene.

As Itachi sat in the back of the ambulance, Sakura offered what help she could to the investigators pouring through her family's cabin and the surrounding vicinity. She and Sasuke had been separated, temporarily, for a few minutes of questioning; her parents remained in the cabin, having very little to do with matters outside of identifying Sasuke and Itachi, and confirming they had travelled to the site separately from the Harunos.

Finally, Itachi was released from the ambulance and walked slowly, his gait awkward, to meet Sakura.

"He got away?"

Itachi nodded. "He is hurt, but he had someone waiting for him."

"You should come inside to rest," she said, reaching for his arm to help support him. "You look like you could use a hand."

Instead, he lifted a hand and clasped her fingers, just for a moment, just the smallest of squeezes, as he held her gaze. She felt lightning spark through her at his touch, her breath catch in her throat, and squeezed back instinctively.

"Itachi," she began, feeling she needed to be clear with him—even if she was so confused inside.

"I'll be fine, Sakura," he said softly. Then he released her hand, and shuffled towards her cabin. "I'm going to go speak with your parents for a few minutes, to offer my apologies for the disruption."

Conflicted, Sakura swallowed her heart and followed him inside.

From the side of the forest ranger's SUV, Sasuke watched them both.

* * *

The next two weeks were a whirlwind.

The media were tenacious, and even the Uchiha Clan struggled to control the information being leaked to the press. Unfortunately, with Sakura reaching the age of majority earlier in the year, they could not prevent her name being released. She cancelled her own cellphone number and was forced to use the sat-phone, hated though it was, to contact her friends and family.

That Itachi had been hurt also came out. Kisame had a devil of a time consoling his children, and thus Itachi ended up with four underage nursemaids at his apartment, each more eager than the last. They were a nuisance in Kisame's opinion, however on the afternoon that Sakura stopped by all were on their best behaviour and Itachi actually managed a short nap—or so it seemed. From what Yuji caught on his cellphone's camera, he was sure Uncle Itachi had only pretended to drift off when Auntie Sakura smoothed his hair back and whispered something in his ear. Yuji was sure he had seen Uncle Itachi's hand start to lift off the bed, but maybe it was just the shadows. It was more obvious when he moved his hand to hold Auntie Sakura's, when she sat beside his bed. When Uncle Sasuke came to collect Auntie Sakura, Uncle Itachi hadn't moved at all.

The rumours that other members of the Uchiha family had been involved in the murky firearm incident was neither confirmed nor denied.

Lastly, the whisperings that Uchiha Itachi renounced his family and title were immediately snuffed out before they could fester.

—Mostly.

* * *

**TBC.**

**AN: Thank you for being so patient!**

This chapter (and story) originally ended with Itachi turning & shooting. After an attack of conscience, I added some follow-up. It was a bit too long to post as a single chapter so an **Epilogue will follow shortly. ;)**

Thank you for reading, and know I truly appreciate your comments and feedback!


	21. Epilogue

**Forest Fire – Epilogue**

(The end of August)

Mikoto and Fugaku stepped away to let Sakura have a moment of privacy with Sasuke. Around them travellers rushed to the security checkpoints and boarding gates, and Sasuke's carry-on sat at his feet.

"Sorry your vacation was cut short with your family," he said, holding her hands.

"Sasuke," Sakura breathed, sounding mildly exasperated. "You idiot." She smiled at him in a way that always reminded him he was the only man she truly saw when she entered a room. "You saved our lives. I think we moved on to forgiveness pretty quickly."

_No, Itachi saved you—if Madara had even intended to kill you in the first place._ But Sasuke didn't want to bring up Itachi's concerns in public.

"E-mail me when you get there, okay? I know most of your place is already set up, but it'll make me feel better."

"Hn."

The security check-point attendant motioned to Sasuke, and he nodded in reply.

But there was one more thing he had to do. The question they had been skirting for weeks, months now.

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. I always have. I always will."

"Oh Sasuke," she said, rubbing at her eye, leaning in to kiss him. "You know I love you, too."

'_Too'… but does that also mean 'also'?_ He wondered, quiet a moment, before steeling himself and making his decision.

"You love him, too, don't you?"

Her brow furrowing, Sakura reached for him. "Who? No, Sasuke, whoever it is, it's no. I love you."

His heart in his stomach, Sasuke stepped away from Sakura, towards the security check.

"Anyone but him, Sakura," he said softly, struggling not to let his anger, anxiety, and sense of inferiority corrupt him, overwhelm him.

"Sasuke, I don't—"

"I love you, Sakura, but I won't share you. When you decide, I'll be here. But until then, I think it's best that we… consider other people."

Sakura paled, her hands shaking. "No, Sasuke, I—"

He turned away. "Goodbye, Sakura."

"Sasuke?" Sakura reached for him, and he heard anger in her voice.

"Did I make it in time?" The deep, familiar voice sounded out of breath behind Sakura as it addressed Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha.

"If you hurry, you can catch sight of him at the gate," urged Mikoto.

"Sasuke!" he called, his strange tri-hop step rushing forward, stopping near Sakura.

Clearing the security check, Sasuke turned at the sound of his brother's voice.

For a second, Sasuke looked at his brother—then his eyes shifted to Sakura, whose mouth was open and whose shoulders were slumped, until she looked over at Itachi, too, then back at Sasuke. As recognition set in, he saw her head snap between the two of them again, faster, and she started shaking her head at Sasuke. She reached for him, trying to touch him one last time.

"Sasuke! Do your best, little brother." Itachi lifted his hand, the one not leaning on his cane, to wave to his brother.

But Sasuke only had eyes for Sakura, and her emerald eyes were flaring with hurt and anger at his implications.

She withdrew her hand, now tightened into a fist.

"Sasuke, you jerk," Sakura said, her voice barely above a whisper. Sasuke wasn't sure he'd heard her words so much as he'd read them on her quivering lips. A tear of frustration ran down her cheek. Startled and standing beside her, Itachi had heard her and turned to her. And then Sasuke saw his brother reach for her, tentatively offering her a handkerchief, and he felt himself flush hot and cold inside. Itachi's gesture was almost tender.

"Sakura," murmured Itachi, but his voice carried just far enough to reach Sasuke's ears. "Please forgive him, he's upset he's losing you. You're always welcome in our family, please don't feel you need to stop visiting."

Something vital in Sasuke, something he'd treasured all his life, snapped.

"_You're not my brother,"_ spat Sasuke, turning away from them all. His stomach clenched hard enough that he thought he'd been punched but he forced his back straight and tall as he strode off in the direction of his departure gate. So determined to ignore them was he that he missed the shock and pain that flashed through Itachi and rooted him to the spot, Sakura gaping.

Through all the noises and announcements and yelling in the terminal, though, Sasuke couldn't miss Sakura's and Itachi's muffled consolations. His heart cracked straight down the middle and all the way to its depths, and he sped up.

When Sasuke reached his gate he found the most secluded seat still available and folded his arms across his knees. Ignoring the other passengers, he stared at his phone's screen, his oft-hated sat-phone, desperate to reach out to Sakura one last time, as she had for him even in her anger. He did not. He had to cut her out of his life, he knew that, at least until he was completely sure about where her heart lay. And yet every fibre in his being demanded he go set things right. Or contact her. Connect with her.

_Mate with her and make her yours,_ a sick part of him, deep inside, rumbled. _Make her Uchiha. Continue the Clan. _

He ignored it. He refused to acknowledge it, or talk about that part of him. It reminded him of Madara.

He was not Madara.

He would never be like Madara.

So he ignored the whispers that had tormented him since his first and only coupling with Sakura.

He endured the flight under his own sense of auto-pilot, staring out the window. The flight staff gently left him to his own devices, apart from his curt stares and terse answers when asked if he would like any refreshment.

Upon arrival at the terminal in Oto, Sasuke felt hollow and robotic, and he wanted nothing more than to find his new apartment and close his eyes.

"Uchiha Sasssuke?"

The fates had other plans for him. Sasuke glanced around at the pale man who'd lisped his name. He was likely in his fifties or sixties, Sasuke estimated, though he appeared younger, and he held out a long-fingered, manicured hand for Sasuke to shake.

"Welcome to Oto. I trussst your flight was comfortable?"

"Mr Orochimaru," said Sasuke, automatically offering his hand. He shook off his stupor. "Yes. It's an honour, sir." He certainly hadn't been expecting the president to meet him. Just behind his new superior he noted a group of dark-suited professionals, all turned towards them.

"The pleasure'sss all mine, pleassse," murmured Orochimaru, his reptilian eyes never leaving Sasuke.

* * *

(Second week of September, Konoha U)

More students filed in to the Friday afternoon class, _Communications for Professionals 101_, filling in the seats around Sakura, some smiling at her, others eyeing her up. She smiled at the kind ones and ignored the others, unsure why they kept looking at her. _The news story was over a month old now; didn't they have anything else to gossip about?_

Resting on her notepad, her phone beeped subtly, the screen aglow.

_Heading out to _Shinobi_ tonight with some new friends, you in?_

Sakura sighed at Ino's text, and glanced at her calendar. She had ample room and didn't work until the following afternoon.

_Busy. Next time?_ She replied.

Sakura immediately turned the sound off on her phone; it buzzed stubbornly at her a split-second later, as she'd expected. Ino again.

"Class starts in a few seconds, what is it?" answered Sakura softly, spotting the time on the clock at the back of the classroom. It was her third class with this professor, and she wanted to remain on the professor's good side. Catching flack for chatting during class time would annihilate that effort beautifully.

"Just a few minutes? It's not to hook up, I swear," insisted Ino. "I know you're not over him, you don't have to be. I just want you to come out and relax for a bit and be social. _Shinobi'_s just off campus, and really laid back. It's more pub than club."

"Ino, not now, okay?" Sakura spotted the door to the professor's entrance opening. "I'll text you after class, okay? Mine's starting." She looked down into her bag and grabbed her pen, shifting the bag so it settled beneath her seat, out of the way.

Ino was earnest when she called, "Love you, Sak!"

Sakura's tense shoulders slumped. Not 'Screw you, Forehead' or 'Suck it, Bitch'. _Love you, Sak._

Ino was so worried about her. Sakura sighed, feeling guilty she was worrying her best friend so much.

"Love you, too. 'Later."

The classroom quieted as the professor moved to the podium and turned down the lights, lowering the projection screen behind her with a small remote.

"How are you all today? Did you survive your first Thursday night post-Frosh Week?" asked the professor, her gentle smile teasing. "Let's turn these lights down for those of you who might still need it."

There was good-natured laughter from the students, some even calling out a heartfelt "Thank you!", as many agreed, but Sakura rolled her eyes. They were there, paying for the privilege, to study and learn. She was a bit disgusted by some of her peers. Internally, she also snorted; not a single one of them could even hold their drink yet. Not the way she could.

Which reminded her, that upper-classman football player, the fourth-year, owed her a good $50.00 after she drank him under the table last week.

The professor at the dais darkened the rest of the lights and finished signing into her laptop, which was plugged into a digital projector.

"Now some of you are seated at the back, and this is important, which is why we're using the projector today. I want to introduce you to one of my teaching assistants. He is actually on loan to me from another department, but remains one of the top students it has ever been my pleasure to teach. He will be available for questions, office hours, and occasionally he will assist me with marking—and will always report directly to me. If I'm not available, you are welcome to contact him. Here is his contact information," she said, bringing it up on the screen, and Sakura's pen chose that moment to roll off her desk and onto the floor.

Swallowing a huff, Sakura looked at the floor and reached down, just as the professor introduced her assistant. The tips of her fingers touched the pen—then it rolled further out of sight. Sakura groaned under her breath and bent sideways until she was half-out of her seat, scrambling for her pen. With next to no light, she was left blind, tapping her hand on the dirty lecture hall floor.

_Hand sanitizer, prepare to be abused,_ she thought to herself with a cringe as she found another wad of gum. _Ugh_.

At the front of the classroom, the professor continued. "On this next screen, you'll see his qualifications." Sakura heard the collective intake of breath, and some gasps and murmured awe, and her hand fumbled on her pen, her anxiety mounting. Damnit, she was getting behind.

Finally, her fingers grasped the barrel and she sat up quickly, eyes darting to the screen just as the professor continued.

"I'd like you to introduce you all to the TA for this term, PhD candidate Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura snapped around so quickly her hair whipped her face.

There, a few rows ahead of her, stood Itachi. He must have entered while she was ducked down. Even from this distance she could see he still leaned a bit to one side, favouring the injury he'd suffered that night in the woods. His compensation wouldn't be obvious to someone who didn't know him, however; someone like her who'd recognize that he always stood straight and tall, not listing to the side. Amidst her peers' approving comments, Sakura looked him over unconsciously searching for any other signs of physical distress. If there were others, he hid them well.

From around her, Sakura heard a few of the girls boldly cat-call him—which he ignored—before a few hands shot up in the air.

"Do you provide tutoring?"

Itachi glanced at the professor, who was trying to hide her smirk, without success.

"Yes," he replied in his low voice. The classroom as a whole sighed at his first words. "During my office hours." He glanced at the professor again, who made a 'keep going' gesture. "With the door open."

Another hand waved in the air. "Do you need our names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and schedules to arrange tutoring?"

Sakura was sure she heard the professor snort behind her hand, but that couldn't be right. That would be unprofessional.

"No. My office hours and contact information were listed on the previous screen. You can reach me for assistance at those times."

The professor took pity on her students—or perhaps she wanted to tease Itachi—because she raised her voice again and asked, "Do you need to see the first screen again, to ensure you copied this information down correctly?"

"Oh yeah!" chanted the female majority in the class.

_Oh for gods' sakes,_ scoffed Sakura, rolling her eyes. But she was secretly grateful that she could write down the information she'd missed from the first slide.

"Itachi will occasionally teach this class, in part or in whole, over the course of this semester if I am unavailable. I expect you to treat him as respectfully as you would me," the professor continued, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Yes ma'am!"

Sakura was reminded of her first kindergarten class when she was five years old, when her primary teacher had promised them treats if they were good.

"Thank you for joining us, Itachi. You're welcome to remain for the rest of the class, or return to your own work."

"I am happy to stay," he said, and found a seat at the front, ensuring the rest of the class's attention would be riveted in his direction for the remaining fifty minutes. He gave a small wave to the class—which gave a collective sigh in response—before nodding to them all. Then he let his eyes roam the seats, until they came to rest on Sakura.

"I look forward to meeting you," he said, his soft voice carrying to her ears.

* * *

(Several months earlier, in June)

She smelled more strongly of the young perfume, that day. A fresh, lightly floral fragrance.

It didn't suit her. It would suit a woman half her age.

Ideas had been forming in Madara's head, and he watched her, as he always did.

"And it was a lovely graduation ceremony. The kids are just about ready to start their own lives now. We weren't able to get any pictures for you, but it was very nice weather. We got lucky."

"Tobi is sorry he missed it. Tobi would have liked to have seen the pretty flowers. Is that why you smell like pretty flowers?"

There, out of the corner of his eye; he saw Fugaku lightly touch Mikoto's arm. A warning, be cautious.

"Oh, it must be the gardens. We had a walk in the gardens before we arrived," Mikoto said, smiling.

A lie.

"Would you like us to bring you a picture book about gardens, next time?"

"No thank you. Tobi prefers walking outside in gardens, digging up worms!"

Mikoto's expression softened. "Are there any gardens you really like?"

"Mmhmm! Tobi loves cemetery gardens. They're very quiet. That's where all Tobi's enemies sleep dead under the grass, and Tobi can jump over their graves!"

Mikoto blinked.

"Tobi will live forever," Madara whispered conspiratorially.

"Well, it will be time for your supper soon, so it is best if we get on our way. We'll come visit again tomorrow," said Fugaku, rising and signalling to Kabuto they were ready go to. He gently took Mikoto's trembling elbow. "Come along, darling."

"Oh, Tobi is so sad you have to go," he whined, twining his fingers together pitifully. "Could Tobi have a hug?"

"Absolutely not."

"Fugaku," admonished Mikoto softly. "Madara—Tobi—we talked about this. We're not supposed to touch each other, remember?"

"But no one hugs Tobi," he said quietly, his head tilted down. Through his wild, overgrown bangs he watched them, waiting.

Mikoto and Fugaku looked at each other, a silent conversation ensuing.

"I'm sorry, but we're really not allowed to, Madara. Tobi," said Mikoto, folding her hands together as she stood.

Madara stood, too, and Fugaku immediately stepped between him and his wife. "Stay there."

"Tobi only wanted a hug, and to smell the flowers again. Tobi doesn't get to see or smell flowers, here in his special room."

He dug his slippered toe into the linoleum floor.

"If you promise to stay where you are," began Mikoto.

"No!" said Fugaku.

"—then I will come close enough to you to smell the flowers. But no touching, okay?"

"Mikoto—"

"Tobi promises!"

"No moving now, okay? I'm going to take three steps closer. You'll be able to smell the flowers more clearly."

"Yay!"

Fugaku kept himself between the two of them, and Mikoto moved no more than the three feet she agreed to.

Madara took a long, deep inhale, and smiled at Mikoto.

"So pretty!"

Mikoto returned his smile. "It is a nice scent, isn't it?"

"I wish my room always smelled like these nice flowers," said Madara, in his childish, high voice.

"Mikoto," warned Fugaku, putting an arm out to keep Mikoto back.

"We'll see if we can have some nice smells on us next time," promised Mikoto, straightening again and backing away towards the door, where Kabuto now waited for them.

"Or, you could just not leave, Matriarch of the Uchiha," said Madara, his voice low and dangerous.

His eyes snapped up and he caught Mikoto's gaze.

She gasped and turned to run, but Madara had already leapt on her, his hands grabbing for her throat.

"Kabuto!" hollered Fugaku, slamming his fist into the emergency help button on the wall. He then grabbed Madara, and with complete disregard for hospital protocol, proceeded to break the man's arms, wrists, and hands, one after another, in an attempt to weaken Madara's grip on his wife.

"If you don't let go of her, I will kill you with my bare hands, Madara," breathed Fugaku into Madara's ear, finally yanking the other man up by his long, wild hair.

"I am the Progenitor! All Uchiha heirs spring from my line! You are Blood Traitors! Fake Uchihas! You merely hold my place until I am free, free to continue the True Uchiha line! I will continue our clan legacy, you'll see!" He cackled madly, screaming and laughing and shaking, his head thrown back and madness clear in his bloodshot eyes.

"I will find her, I will find her, I will find her and make her mine!" Madara shouted as Kabuto dragged him away from a vengeful Fugaku and an unmoving Mikoto.

Kabuto indicated the door with his head, and motioned them out. "Security's coming to assist; get her out of here while I sedate him."

"Thank you, Kabuto."

"I know! I know! I'm going to make her birth the next Uchiha heir! Then, then I will control the world!" Madara continued, thrashing in Kabuto's arms.

Rosie hurried the medical personnel through to help Mikoto and Fugaku, seeing to them as a secondary unit of medical help arrived to help see to Madara.

Inside his cell, Madara wailed and screamed and cursed, fighting against them all.

But he had it.

He'd seen it, clinging unnoticed to Mikoto's sweater. No one had noticed him take it from her, either.

The long, straight single pink hair.

Obviously, Mikoto's midlife crisis had driven her to take a younger, female lover. He smelled it, later that night. _Yes, definitely younger._ The shampoo and fine condition of the hair were of a young woman, possibly her late teens or early twenties, no children. It was still too fresh and flexible.

_No!_ He corrected himself, shaking his head.

Not Mikoto.

_One of the boys._

His grin spread. _Finally!_

The door to his room slid open and Kabuto entered.

"They're gone."

"Took them long enough," said Madara, still entranced by the pink hair. "Anything interesting?"

"Pictures on Mikoto's cellphone show her hugging Sasuke on one side, and then a pink-haired girl, then Itachi on the other."

"Any pictures of the girl with only one of the boys?"

"Pictures of her with each of them."

"Hn." So she could be girlfriend to either. Ah well. Either way, they would have impeccable taste in women; Uchiha tended to. They had saved him a great deal of time, finding him a mate.

"Pictures, Kabuto?"

"Here, sir." Kabuto handed over his own cell phone, which he'd transferred the pictures to while the Uchihas were visiting Madara.

Perusing the photos, Madara smelled the strand of unbroken hair again, turning it over in his bound fingers, wrapping it around the stiff digits.

_So._

_Was this Itachi's girlfriend, or Sasuke's?_

He looked at his fingers and the casts on his arms.

And smiled again.

He would find out, soon, as soon as he was healed.

"Do you have any vacation plans this summer, Kabuto?"

Kabuto smiled. "I'm at your service, sir."

Madara grinned madly, twisting the hair around and around his fingers. He couldn't wait to touch her.

"What is her name, Kabuto?"

"Sakura. Haruno Sakura. Top of her class, tied with Sasuke. Intends to study medicine."

"She's intelligent? Attractive?"

"Both, very much so, sir."

"Ahhhhh, young love. I can't wait to capture it again," sighed Madara. Six to eight weeks, they'd said, until the casts were removed.

"Until then, darling," he sang to the screen, tracing the young woman's smile. 

* * *

**The End.**

**AN:** Yes, everyone was OOC by the end—erm, artistic license? And where did this plot come from? (I don't know, it kind of took me by storm, too.)

I hope you've enjoyed this little bit of AU fun. Comments, conjecture and criticism are welcome. This got a bit darker than I intended. I may need to post the sequel (if/when it happens) to a different site, as it is more mature-themed.

Thank you to everyone who read and especially those who commented – I love reading your messages! All the best to you, and happy NaNoWriMo!

-mm


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